


Diary of a Wraithiologist

by sleepyowlet



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, Humor, Illustrated, Romance, Wraith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-13
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2017-11-16 06:12:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/536372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyowlet/pseuds/sleepyowlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A scientist is sent aboard Todd's Hive to study the Wraith and their culture in their natural habitat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Come Into My Parlour

**Author's Note:**

> Babblerama: This is definitely AU – I think the retrovirus is a little too much, so I've changed it around a little. The Wraith who have taken the cure in my story still retain their ability to feed – but now they've got a choice on what they feed. They can live on food now too. I like that concept better, because it gives them an out without diminishing the scariness factor. Oh, and as for what Shawn is doing on Todd's Hiveship – it'll be explained later.
> 
> Many thanks to Siobahn-Daemian for de-gnoming, to TP for Britpicking, and to Rhion for general hand-holding and lots of stylistic advice.

**Chapter 1 – Come Into My Parlour**

\--- excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell ---  
_This is the diary of Iris Popplewell. Just in case someone finds this next to my desiccated corpse, which is more likely than not._

_I'm being sent to a Hive ship to study the culture and social behaviour of the Wraith. And guess what? I'm going alone. Isn't that just great? So that's why I'm sitting on my suitcase in the middle of a gaggle of Marines or whatever they are; I'm waiting for the Wraith to pick me up. And they are late. Well, the soldier guys aren't exactly a talkative lot, so I figured I'd start writing my first entry of my brand new diary. It's been years since I kept one, but maybe writing my experiences and feelings down will help keep me sane._

_You'd suppose they'd send their best scientist, not some failed academic who's been out of her job for ages. Seems to me like they sent the expendable one on this mission. If I meet a grisly end, no one will shed a tear. I should have known that there was a catch – there is always a catch where the military is involved. They told me about my mission in very vague terms, and I was sort of stupefied by the amount of money they were waving at me. Then I fell down the rabbit hole and landed myself in Atlantis. And only then they told me a little about theWraith. Big green men who just recently changed their dietary habits away from humans. Doctor McKay gave me a few reports to read and showed me some footage of them – tall, statuesque, beautiful in a very alien way, snazzy dressers – and scary as hell._

_Thirty really is too young to die._

_Not that the guys in Atlantis haven't reassured me that the Wraith in chief of this particular Hive is a friend of theirs and would never let any harm come to me – but really, I'm not that stupid. The fact that they chose me is telling enough._

_One order of dry h'orderves coming up. Hope someone brought the sauce._  
\--- end excerpt ---

They looked like they had on the footage, and she immediately recognised the one in the middle as the one Colonel Sheppard had named Todd. They moved like the predators they were, all fluid grace and controlled strength; and Iris felt a trickle of cold sweat making its way down her spine. Something primitive and visceral inside her urged her to run and hide, and it took all her willpower to just stand and hold her ground.

Then the leader of the Wraith smiled at her, revealing far too many dark, pointed teeth. Iris _did_ take an involuntary step back then, stumbling over her suitcase. She would have landed on her ass, if one of the soldiers hadn't grabbed her arm and kept her upright.

“I presume you are Miss Popplewell?” the Wraith asked politely, inclining his head slightly, his voice a multi-toned purr that Iris found just as unnerving as his appearance.

Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded, picking up her suitcase and her backpack.

A few minutes later she found herself inside the Hiveship. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim blue light that eerily illuminated strange structures around her. The reports she'd read had said that the Wraith used organic technology, but still the weird shapes of her new surroundings came as a bit of a shock.

“This way,” Todd said, indicating the direction she was supposed to take with an elegant gesture of his left hand.

Iris nodded and followed, pulling her suitcase behind her. Now she was pretty glad she had gotten one with tiny wheels, as none of her companions had offered to carry it for her. Probably because they weren't used to being courteous towards humans, Iris mused, she had read that it was humans who did all the housekeeping work on Hiveships. Or would that be Hivekeeping? You did not offer to carry the suitcase of someone whose kind you considered food or some sort of servant.

The corridors were almost empty, only a few of said humans scurried by now and again, carefully averting their eyes. They were called worshippers, Iris knew from the reports. They were loathed and despised by all free humans in the Pegasus Galaxy. Personally she didn't see the point – the bulk of them were serving in the Hives against their will, and Iris was pretty sure that the revulsion the other humans felt for them was born of the fear of becoming a slave to the Wraiths themselves.

Most of the humans they met were women, and Iris wondered briefly if the worshippers lived segregated by sex, or if they were predominately female. She had the bad feeling that it was the latter, and tried not to think too much about the implications of that.

“Your quarters, Miss Popplewell,” Todd said with a polite smile that made Iris take a step back again. “If there is anything you need, one of my underlings will try to provide it. I also suggest that you do not go exploring our Hive unescorted for now, as I am sure you'll want to avoid ... incidents. For now we will leave you to settle in and rest, should you require it. A worshipper will be sent to you later who will see to your needs and answer any questions you might have about your accommodations.”

The underling in question turned out to be one of the Wraiths who had accompanied him to the planet, a tall, well-built fellow, as they all were, who seemed more groomed than his commander, sported two wisps of hair framing his chin and no tattoo on his face. The entire time Todd spoke, the underling stared down his strangely shaped nose at her. When his Commander suggested that she turn to him if she needed anything his lips twisted into a bared teethed sneer.

Well, isn't that just brilliant, Iris thought.


	2. Squishy Walls and Squishy Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: Second part. Iris discovers her personal L-space.
> 
> My thanks to Siobahn-Daemian for de-gnoming, to TP for Britpicking, and to Rhion for being my writing-Obi-Wan.

**Chapter 2 – Squishy Walls and Squishy Feelings**

\--- excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell ---  
 _Not dead yet. I am now in my quarters aboard the Hive ship. They aren't all that spacious – so either those Wraith are fans of the IKEA-principle, or I've been stashed away in a very small room like some unwanted luggage. I'm waiting for the worshipper to come by to get me some food; until then I might as well just describe my surroundings a little for posterity._

_The room is L-shaped, with a bathroom cubicle and a small wardrobe taking the space that would make it rectangular. A nicely sized bed takes all the space that makes up the smaller, horizontal stroke of the L, so I'll have to crawl up from the foot of the bed. I'm a wall-hugger when I sleep and can get to a wall – but the walls here are sort of weird and squishy, almost looking like muscle tissue with all these knobbly growths here and there. On a positive note, though, I won't be able to fall out of bed._

_The colour scheme is nice, I suppose, with all the purple. I like purple. Which is a good thing, because I'll be seeing a lot of it._

_The light is quite dim, though, definitely too dark to read a book by. So I guess it's a good thing that I didn't bring any._

_There's a shelf thingie over a small table with two chairs. And that's it. Makes me wish I'd have brought a few posters with me to decorate. The table is a flat surface that comes directly out of the wall, no legs or anything. The chairs (and I'm using the term loosely) come out of the wall too on some kind of stalk, which lets you adjust height and distance to the table. Well, this sort of makes it easy for the cleaning personnel, I suppose, if the organic walls don't clean themselves. I should really ask somebody about that sometime._

_I've already put away my belongings – I didn't bring much in the way of clothing; I probably won't need a big variety in the near future. But I did bring, among other things, a year’s worth of tampons, my laptop, my sketchpad, various pencils, about two pounds of chocolate, and a big pack of instant coffee. I'm terribly grouchy in the mornings, if I can't get any coffee – and that might be a bit unhealthy when stuck on a Wraith ship._

_Oops. Battery's running out. I really need to find a way to plug my laptop into the energy circuits here._  
\--- end excerpt ---

The worshipper turned out to be a young woman named Tisa. She had a tray with her which she deposited on the table, giving Iris a wobbly smile.

“Please, sit down,” Iris said, pointing at the other chair. “I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.”

Tisa sat, arranging her blue dress around her. She was rather beautiful, Iris thought, with her wide, brown doe eyes, and her long, dark hair. The Audrey Hepburn type, beautiful in a delicate, fragile way. Next to women like her Iris always felt like a bumbling cow standing beside a gazelle – there was nothing delicate about her. Not that she was terribly overweight, just solid with squishy places.

“I was wondering about a few things,” Iris started, picking up her fork and taking a bite of something that looked like a risotto of fresh vegetable and some kind of dark meat. “One being, with the cure, the Wraith don't need humans to feed on any more, so what do they eat now? And they agreed not to enslave people any more, and to let their worshippers go, if they wanted to leave. So how come you're still here?”

Tisa averted her eyes and started picking at a loose thread on her sleeve, “Yes, they offered us our freedom, and some went away, but most of us don't have a home to return to any more. Besides, the other humans hate us. If we were to rejoin their society, they would discriminate against us at best, and abuse or kill us at worst. In the end we are just as trapped as we were before, especially we women.”

Iris nodded and gestured at her to continue, since she was busy chewing her food. It was quite good, flavourful and a little spicy.

“You see, for the most part there is only one female Wraith on each Hive at any given time. The rest are males and drones. And only one male out of many is selected by the queen to have offspring with her, if she desires it. Still, the other male Wraith have ... needs. So they turn to us. There is hardly a female worshipper who hasn't been with a Wraith sometime; and the other humans know that, so to them we are soiled. If we were to leave the Hive...”

Iris swallowed, nodding again, “Yes, I see. Humans are like that, I'm afraid. You wouldn't be the first group of abused women to be punished for being victimized. Still, something should be done. Do the Wraith at least treat you better now?”

Tisa shrugged, “Some do, I suppose. I don't know about other Hives, but on this one most Wraith aren't that bad. They found out pretty quickly that you shouldn't anger the ones preparing your meals... things are less tense since they started eating just like us. The Commander made them eat with us – he said that if we ate the same food, it would be more difficult to poison them. Both sides profited from that, I suppose, they know their food is safe, and we get better things to eat.”

“Clever,” Iris grinned. “So they don't need to feed anymore?”

“Not usually. But if they are injured they need to absorb energy to heal. But the cure your people made enabled them to feed on animals, so they don't need humans any more.”  
Iris swallowed another bite and frowned.

“But they can still feed on humans,” she said uneasily. It was a bit like meeting a large dog without a leash or muzzle – it might attack, or it might not; but the danger of getting your throat ripped out was definitely there.

“Yes, they can. But the Commander forbade it. Except on those worshippers who are addicted to the enzyme they release when feeding. The plan is to wean them from it slowly, but I'm not so sure that this is what they are actually doing.”

Iris continued to eat her meal, pondering what she had heard. It seemed like she had come during a very interesting time to study the Wraith – it appeared as though was a major cultural shift happening right now. The core of it was, as Iris saw it, the change of relationship between worshippers and Wraith from a parasitic to a symbiotic one. They needed each other; the Wraith providing food and shelter as well as protection, and the worshippers labour and companionship. The Commander seemed to grasp this; clever of him. Maybe she did have a chance to survive this whole mess...

The rest of the conversation revolved around day to day happenings on the ship, as well as how to use the fixtures in the bathroom. There was a toilet and sink, which she had already worked out how to use, and Tisa showed her another set of controls that would start the shower, which encompassed the whole water closet. And as it turned out her suspicion was right – the ship was self-cleaning; the worshippers only did the laundry, mending and kitchen duties. Obviously the Wraith didn't know how to cook. Iris and Tisa shared a grin, utterly amused at the idea of the Wraith having to fend for themselves.

It might still happen, Iris thought, since nobody really wanted to be a worshipper. They might have to start an ad campaign soon...

The worshipper also promised to pass on Iris' request for an adapter or something for her laptop's power cord.

After Tisa had left Iris decided to try out the shower, discovering that it had multiple jets coming from nozzles all over the ceiling and walls. It was rather fun. Of course she couldn't take a towel inside with her, so she had to step out of the shower naked and dripping...

... almost colliding with a grinning Wraith Sub-Commander holding out a towel for her.


	3. First Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: And the story goes on... added a little picture.
> 
> My thanks to Siobahn-Daemian for de-gnoming, to TP for Britpicking, and to Rhion for being my writing-Obi-Wan.

**Chapter 3 – First Steps**

\--- Excerpt from the private diary of Iris Popplewell ---  
 _Not dead yet. Though at the moment I sort of wish I was. When I exited the shower yesterday the Wraith assigned to me was waiting for me right outside with a towel and a grin like a barracuda. Silly woman that I am I just squeaked and tried to cover my bits instead of going for the towel. Honestly, you have no idea how scary it is to suddenly find yourself in the company of a six foot plus guy who is smiling at you with far too many teeth in his mouth. Very pointy, sharp-looking teeth._

_After a few seconds of being completely frozen with fear, I finally managed to snatch the towel and wrap it around my body. My next destination was the wardrobe, and he seemed very amused as I inched around him to reach it and grab some clothes. I ducked back into the bathroom to dress and took a few moments to try and find my composure again. From whatever corner it was cowering in. In the meantime the floor had sucked up all the puddles I made._

_I came to the conclusion that he is trying to intimidate me, or just likes to scare and annoy me for the fun of it. Or both. Probably both._

_Tosser._

_When I came back out he was sitting at my table as if nothing had happened, attaching something wobbly and purple to the power cord of my laptop. It looked vaguely like a squid with lots of tentacles. That's why I can now type up further entries for my diary – I just have to put the squiddie thing on a wall and it'll look for energy to feed my laptop with. I just love that organic technology – no need to search for power outlets._

_He also told me to call him Shawn – apparently that is what Sheppard named him when Todd had introduced them a while ago. Maybe Todd got tired of him and Kenny being the only ones on the Hive with silly human names. Anyway, he promised me a tour of the ship for later on today._  
 _Eventually he left and I decided to go to bed, as it was evening by ship time. The bed is rather nice, the bedding spongy but not too soft, and the covers are light and wonderfully warm. Did I already mention that I brought my tiger stuffie? Well, I did. Good thing too, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep at all._  
\--- end excerpt ---

Shawn appeared in the morning, mere moments after Iris was finished with typing up her journal entry.

“I assume you are ready?” he asked in his deep, purring voice. He might be a total git, but at least he had a voice Iris could happily spend hours listening to. She probably would, with him being her main contact among the Wraith.

“Yes, of course. Where do we start?” Iris replied, trying to assume a businesslike air, which was a bit tricky to do when the other person had seen you naked and squeaking in a rather undignified manner.

“We will start with the worshippers' area, since your quarters are in it. Then we will have breakfast in the mess hall,” he said, his smile coming back full force.

“I take it you're looking forward to breakfast,” Iris remarked dryly, as she moved past him into the corridor.

“Yes, I am. Even before the cure I enjoyed the pleasures good food can bring... I am in charge of the kitchen staff and procuring provisions because of my experience with the nuances of the culinary arts," his fingers rippling oddly in emphasis as he spoke, "We are also transforming some of the stasis chambers to be used for food storage; the remainder will be dismantled soon and replaced by hydroponic gardens. I will show you the plans later in the command centre, if these sorts of things interest you,” Shawn answered, falling into step beside her.

A few corridors down he stopped, “The dormitories are here. Most worshippers live in small groups, sleeping in one room together.”

“But you said my room was in the worshippers' area – there are worshippers who have private rooms then?” she asked, trying to make sense of what he was describing.

“Indeed. The private rooms are for those who ... entertain Wraith. Most of us prefer to keep such intimate acts private,” he purred and a suggestive grin.

Iris felt her jaw drop. They had put her in a...

 _Well_ , that explained a few things...such as the lack of a doorbell and a lock. Of course they didn't want a worshipper to be able to lock them out, and their Hive telepathy would tell them if the woman inside was...occupied.

“Do not worry; the crew knows that you are not available,” Shawn smugly added, seeming to enjoy her discomfort.

“Right. I'd like a lock on my door regardless.”

The tall Wraith gave her a nod, still grinning. “I will see to it.”

Iris followed him further along the corridor, fuming silently. He kept to the letter of his orders, providing things for her as soon as she asked for them, but he didn't make any suggestions on his own about how to make things easier for her.

“This is the recreational area. It contains an extensive bath and facilities for the maintenance of the worshippers' appearance. Some of the Wraith officers are quite fond of the services provided as well, so the area is open to everyone.”

They entered, and Iris looked around, noting a big pool of steaming water which was at the moment occupied by three happily chatting women, and several doors that she assumed led to other facilities.

“What else is here besides the bath and beauty parlour?” she asked, turning to her companion.

“What else? I am afraid I do not understand.”

“Well, where do the worshippers engage in recreational activities? You know, hobbies?”

The Wraith blinked at her, “They can relax here, what else would they need?”

Iris shook her head bewildered, “Humans like to exercise certain skills just for the fun of it. Some like cooking, some like creating art, some like dancing, some like playing an instrument, or listen to music. Or playing games... Things like that.”

Shawn nodded slowly, seemingly mulling over what she had said.

“There has never been any need for such trifles; the worshippers never expressed a wish for the things you mentioned. We can discuss this over breakfast, if you wish. The mess hall is this way.”

He led her into a vast room with a high, domed ceiling. There was an open kitchen on one side which was bustling with activity, the rest of the space was filled with tables of various sizes. The worshippers were huddled together at the bigger ones, seeking the protection of a crowd, while the Wraith seemed to prefer the smaller tables for themselves. They sat rigidly, eating quickly and efficiently; and none of them seemed to enjoy their food much. Some were talking quietly, their heads close together.

The line in front of the kitchen partition wasn't overly long and consisted of both Wraith and humans waiting patiently. The Englishwoman inside of her approved of the fact that there seemed to be no queue-jumping – but Iris also couldn't help but remark on it.

“It used to be that way during the first months,” Shawn answered as they joined the line. “But my fellow Wraith discovered very quickly that it is not wise to anger the kitchen staff. They are all human, and they decide what ends up on your plate,” he sounded vaguely affronted by that.

When they had collected their trays and chosen one of the small tables, Iris took a few moments to watch Shawn enjoy his food, taking a few bites of her own.

The lighting was brighter here, presumably for the comfort of the humans preparing the food. Iris took the opportunity to take a closer look at the Wraith who had been assigned as her contact.

His hair was long and smooth, like that of most of his kind, and he wore it partially drawn back, so it wouldn't fall into his eyes. His skin was of a greenish tinge and somewhat translucent, so his veins showed through. The teeth that Iris had thought dark turned out to be merely translucent too, they only appeared dark since they didn't reflect the light like human teeth did. The soft tissues and interior of his mouth were vaguely purple, which made sense, since Wraith blood was darker than human. His eyes were yellow with slit pupils, like a cat's, framed by long, white lashes.

He was quite pleasing to look at, but still seemed very foreign to her, and she still had to make a conscious effort not to flinch whenever he bared his teeth at her in one of his broad grins.

“Do you like what you see?” he teased as his gaze slid towards her.

But Iris refused to be baited and shrugged. “You are quite ... striking, I guess,” she replied, keeping her tone neutral. “And I'm curious about the differences between us. But we were talking about the worshippers.”

“Ah yes. You believe they require facilities for recreational activities. I shall make inquiries,” Shawn said.

Iris nodded, continuing to eat her breakfast. It was bread, fresh fruit, and something that tasted mostly like scrambled eggs, though it was vaguely blueish. Iris wasn't quite sure she wanted to know what exactly it was she was eating; it could be eggs of some icky insect, or it might not be eggs at all, but some sort of protein secreted by the ship. Or, Iris made herself think, it could be normal chicken eggs with some sort of herb that turned them blue. Yes. That had to be it, she thought.

“What are the customs of your people regarding meals?”

Iris looked up in surprise, “Customs? Well, they are pretty diverse, but eating is a very social activity for us. There are many different cultures on Earth, and they all have their own customs and rituals. But food is an important part of family life and courtship in all of them. I can tell you a little about how my culture in that regard, if you like,” she answered.

Shawn leaned back a little and steepled his hands. “Yes, please do,” he said, his brow ridges raised.

“Well... food is a big part of social gatherings for us. There are intricate rules for what can be served at which occasion. Not my exact area of expertise, I'm afraid. Well, most people have three to five or six meals a day. We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there are other meals that are entirely optional; they are had for pleasure and social interaction mostly. A prime example for that is the afternoon tea of my country. Tea is the focus of it, but there are also different foods accompanying it, like scones and biscuits. It's a time for amiable chatting or solitary introspection, depending on the individuals in question and their social standing.”

Shawn nodded. “So what is the food of your home like?”

Iris smiled lopsidedly before answering. “Well, the rest of the world doesn't think much of our native cooking. We're famous for our diverse breakfast, though, and for our sauces. Our pies are nothing to be frowned at either. They are a personal favourite of mine; there are endless local varieties. Due to our history we came into contact with many other cultures, and some of them have left their mark on our food.”

Iris read the expression on Shawn's face as intense curiosity. “I would very much like to sample the cooking of your homeworld one day,” he said. “I am afraid that I might be the only one; my brothers never shared my fascination with human food.”

His voice had taken on a deep, sonorous resonance, and he looked at her with his face more open than she had seen it so far. However, his unblinking gaze still made her very uncomfortable.

“So what is our next stop?” she asked, hoping to distract him.

Shawn seemed to snap back into his usual disdainful self, and his golden eyes narrowed in a predatory fashion. Probably to make her squirm – Iris wondered if that was because he disliked her personally, or if it was a knee-jerk reaction to interacting with a human. She filed the thought away and decided that she had to watch how the Wraith interacted with the worshippers and other Wraith.

It seemed that the only place where she would be able to do that were the bathing facilities, since they seemed to be something of a social hub for both humans and Wraith.  
Iris, of course, hadn't thought to bring a swimsuit; not that the women in the central pool had been wearing anything.

The next stop turned out to be the map room. The way there would have taken quite a while (those Hive ships were massive), so Shawn had led her to a little niche, typed something into one of those misty panels, and suddenly she found herself in a different corridor. Shawn was grinning again, so she suppressed the impulse to check if everything was where it was supposed to be. If she had rematerialised with her backside to the front like President Scroob in Spaceballs, she'd just have to deal with it.

A moment later they stepped inside a cavernous room with a vaulted ceiling, which looked disturbingly similar to a ribcage. There were three consoles evenly spaced around a huge ring that held a hologram projector. The consoles were occupied by three silent Wraith who manipulated the hologram of what Iris assumed to be the portion of space they were in so that sections lit up in different colours.

“This is where we plan our journeys,” Shawn murmured, his voice suddenly very close and his breath tickling her ear.

Startled, Iris jumped and took a step away from him.

Didn't these people have any sense of personal space, Iris thought, eyeing him uncomfortably.

“I see,” she managed and went to have a closer look.

The Wraith operating the map ignored her, so she let herself be enthralled by the strange beauty of it. She had the impulse to ask for their position, but she realized that even if they put a blinking dot between the stars that meant “you are here” it wouldn't mean anything to her. So she didn't. The realisation of how abandoned she really was crashed down on her and she swallowed hard.

Making herself face her Wraith companion, she asked, “Right, what else did you want to show me?”

“The Bridge. This way,” he answered, his face inscrutable.

The Wraith must have a lot more endurance than humans, Iris thought as they arrived at their destination; not one of them was sitting in a chair, everyone was standing at their various consoles and monitors. There was one bench like structure, but it was unoccupied, as it wasn't near enough to any of the outlets of the ship's systems.

“Miss Popplewell,” she was greeted by warmly. A Wraith talking like that disturbed her far more than it reassured her. “Welcome. I trust everything is arranged to your satisfaction?”

She swallowed, forcing herself to look at the diamond shaped face with the distinctive star like tattoo. Todd was smiling, but it was the smile of a shark, a smile without warmth, a display of teeth with danger lurking just beneath the benign surface.

“Yes, thank you. I think I have all I need.”

“Good. Allow me to show you around the Bridge...”

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Some Like It Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks to TP for Britpicking, and to Rhion for being my writing-Obi-Wan.

**Chapter 4 – Some Like It Hot**  
  
\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---  
 _Not dead yet. At least not literally. Figuratively speaking, though... Well, let's just say that Hive ships are really, really big. And even when beaming near the place you want to go, you end up walking a lot when being shown the most important parts of the ship. If a Wraith doesn't kill me, my feet certainly will._

_Shawn was on what I'm beginning to suspect is his best behaviour – he answered most of my questions (not that I had the nerve to ask many), and kept the teasing to a bearable level. He caught me staring at him – I really need to watch myself there. In many cultures extensive eye-contact means either a challenge or sexual interest (and since this behaviour is a leftover from more primitive times, it might well apply here). But not staring at him is tricky; he's quite something (even if his personality and conduct leave much to be desired), and that beard of his... the two wisps twitch like the mandibles of an insect when he speaks, catching my eyes every time._

_Anyway – the ship is really fascinating. In a way it's one humongous, living creature, that can mould itself around the needs if its inhabitants. Shawn showed me how it's done – a Wraith accesses a certain program and changes a few parameters – and the ship creature changes its shape and function in the designated area within hours. No manual labour needed at all. Amazing. Getting a lock for my door was just a push of a button._

_Shawn seems very knowledgeable when it comes to manipulating the ship's structure – makes me wonder what his usual duties were before the cure._

_Well, for now I've decided to concentrate on the worshippers – they should be able to answer some of my questions, so I won't be running into studying the Wraith themselves completely blind._  
\---end excerpt---  
  
It had taken Iris almost a week to gather the courage to go to the bathing facilities, and when she did, she did so escorted by Tisa. Iris knew that she had been basically procrastinating – sitting in her quarters rereading the information she'd gotten from Atlantis. Having done so she was quite miffed with them – they hadn't told her everything, she had realized. What she had were basically mission reports and database entries that someone had gone through pressing the delete key at certain points. But taken all together she realized that the Wraith weren't the only aliens those Stargate people had come in contact with, and it angered her that she wasn't able to read up on the others. The basis of every social science was comparison – how was she supposed to write a decent report about the Wraith if the only people she could compare them to were, well, until recently at least, their food source?

The IOA also didn't seem to realize that she needed information about the humans of Pegasus as well, since they were part of the whole subtle structure that was society here. And there was nothing in the files she had received – only reports about the Wraith's various exploits, some biological info (most of that theories), and some reports about Todd that basically said that he was a lying, conniving bastard.  
Not that she was about to argue with that – Todd scared her; and he scared her badly.

Everyone had let her be so far – which Iris was grateful for. But if she wanted to get off this monster of a ship any time soon, she'd better buck up and do her job, she realized.

And thus she took a deep breath and got undressed. Theft apparently wasn't an issue on board of a Hive ship – the clothes were stored in small niches in the wall of the dressing room. Now naked, Iris avoided looking at herself in the full-length mirror. Like most of her fellow Milky Way women she had quite a few issues with her body, and she really didn't want to know what she'd look like standing next to beautiful, slender Tisa.

Her companion didn't seem shy about her nudity at all; as soon as she was bare she gave a languid stretch and smiled before grabbing a towel from a nearby shelf.

Iris noticed a feeding scar on Tisa's chest, an old one, the scar tissue all silvery white. It made her shudder – there had been something in the reports about how the Wraith “persuaded” those humans chosen as worshippers but unwilling to serve. Had they done that to her? Did Tisa serve the Wraith because she was addicted to the enzyme? Could she even trust her? Trust anything she said?

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Iris took a towel too and followed Tisa out of the dressing room.

They took a quick shower first, then wrapped themselves in their towels before walking towards the central pool, which was filled with deliciously warm water. Iris found the Hive ship a bit chilly, so the heat soaking into her body was a welcome change. The pool had an interesting shape, rounded and organic, but slightly irregular.

A few moments after Iris and Tisa had settled, they were joined by another young woman, who Tisa introduced as Lirca.  
Iris noticed that Lirca seemed preoccupied and fidgety, constantly eyeing the door.

“So, what is it that you do?” Iris asked, trying to distract the young woman a little.

“I'm a hairdresser,” she answered, smiling shyly. “I was always good at doing that, even back home. Most women from my village came to me to have their hair styled for special occasions...”

“Lirca,” Tisa interrupted her, clearly disapproving.

Iris shot her a confused look, so Tisa explained, “We do not talk about our lives before becoming worshippers; it serves no purpose. We concentrate on the here and now,”

“That... seems a bit harsh,” Iris said, a little taken aback.

“It is a question of survival.” Tisa replied, “New members need to integrate quickly or they do not last long. Indulging memories of our past keeps us from accepting the present, and distracts us from our duties. This may seem cruel, but it is the only way.”

“I see,” Iris said. It did make sense. Accepting one's fate, however terrible it may be, was certainly more beneficial for survival than railing against it. But hadn't things changed now, or were at least in the process of changing? Humans were no longer just food – didn't it follow that they could also be more than slaves?

“So, do you take care of worshippers and Wraith? Or only one of both?” Iris asked.

“Both. Though I tend to more worshippers than Wraith; some Wraith have chosen hairstyles that don't need much maintenance. They just twist their hair into ropes and leave it at that.”

Iris nodded, remembering some of the Wraith she'd seen on her tour of the ship; they wore their hair in dreds, “What else is here?”

“Some worshippers are very adept at giving massages,” Tisa answered Iris' question, “and some help with skin care and apply cosmetics. There is also a training facility for us to use to keep our bodies strong. The Wraith do not go there usually, they require different exercises since they are much stronger than humans.”

Iris nodded again, and Tisa rose, “I will leave you to your bath. Lirca will take care of any needs you might have; I am afraid I have other duties to attend to right now.”

As soon as Tisa was gone, Lirca seemed to relax a little.

“Is she your superior?” Iris asked, wondering how the worshippers were structured socially.

“Yes, she is the companion of the Second in Command, so she's considered the highest ranking among us, since the Commander doesn't have a companion, and the queen isn't here often enough to require a personal handmaiden.”

Iris debated with herself a little before asking her next question, “I mean no offence, but you seem scared of something.”

Lirca flinched and looked at her hands, folded in her lap, “I know it's silly...”

Iris shrugged, “I don't know about that. Fears rarely are, in my experience.”

“I'm not comfortable here, out in the open. I usually keep to the sleeping quarters or the rooms set aside for carrying out my duties. I try not to attract attention, and it worked quite well until recently,” Lirca said, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. She was small and curvy, and reminded Iris of a little dishevelled bird. She could very well imagine her flitting here and there, escaping notice.

“So I take it someone did notice you despite your efforts,” Iris assumed.

“Yes, one of the Blades.” Seeing Iris' confused look Lirca explained, “You see, faced Wraith come in two kinds, mostly. Blades and Clevermen. Clevermen occupy themselves with science and not much else, they aren't that involved in the day to day running of the Hive. The Blades command the Hive as such and fill various military and administrative functions. And one of those developed an interest in me. He's in charge of training the warrior drones.”

“And I take it this interest is unwelcome?”

Lirca averted her eyes again, “It shouldn't be. The others constantly tell me that I should be glad. I've never... and most certainly not with a Wraith. They frighten me. He frightens me.”

So Tisa hadn't been absolutely truthful when she had said that there was no woman here who hadn't slept with a Wraith somewhere along the line.

“Couldn't you leave the Hive? The Wraith agreed to let everyone leave who wanted to.”

“Where would I go?” Lirca asked, her watery blue eyes meeting Iris' again. “Here I have food and shelter. If I leave, there is no guarantee that I will find a community that would take me in. So I can only keep trying to avoid him and hope that he'll look elsewhere in time.”

They lapsed into silence after that, and Iris relished in the heat of the water, content to watch the worshippers go about their business. Only very few were without a feeding mark, Iris noticed, and some of those looked pretty recent.

Iris' gaze turned inwards as she took up her earlier thought again. So the Wraith had agreed not to force people into their service any more – but what was to keep them from doing it anyway? They could just grab somebody, brainwash them, and said person would swear any oath that they had come voluntarily.

The only thing that would protect the people of the Pegasus Galaxy from this would be a change of the Wraith mindset, Iris realized, they needed to accept their former prey as ... equals.

“I have not seen you before,” the deep voice of a Wraith purred behind her and made her jump. “And you do not live in the communal quarters. I would know.”

Iris turned just in time to see the Wraith slip into the water next to her. He was tall and slender, and she could see intricate, black tattoos snaking around his torso. His face wasn't as elegant as Shawn's, it had a certain fish-like cast to it. Iris was sure that she had never encountered this particular Wraith before, the symmetrical marks on his cheekbones and chin were pretty distinctive.

Where was Lirca, Iris thought, looking around, trying to spot the young worshipper.

“I sent her away,” the Wraith interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh. Well, please excuse me, then,” Iris said with a grimace that she hoped would pass for a smile and started to get up.  
The Wraith's left hand struck like a viper and wrapped around her arm with bruising force.

“I did not say that you could go,” he growled, his easy smile growing menacing. “Why do we not get to know each other a little, hm?”

Iris flinched away from his feeding hand that teased at a few curls that had escaped the messy bun on top of her head.

“No need to be skittish,” the Wraith said, his long fingers now trailing along the side of her neck.

Iris started to hyperventilate. This was bad. This was very bad.

“Please let go of me,” she said, trying to keep the tremor from her voice. Perhaps she could reason with him? “I'm not a worshipper.”

His grin widened, “That is what they all say in the beginning, but they all come around sooner or later. Now, let us take this somewhere private."

“No. I don't want to go anywhere with you. Please let me go,” Iris said, looking around for help. The group of women on the other end of the pool studiously averted their eyes and continued to chat, but their body language was different now. They were very aware of what was happening to her, Iris realized, they just didn't want to get involved. There was no help to be expected from them.

“Then it seems like I will have to change your mind,” the Wraith said, his fingers moving from her neck to her chest in a slow caress that made her skin crawl, until he flattened his hand with the feeding slit right over her hammering heart.

Iris squeezed her eyes shut in terror and couldn't suppress the sob that tore itself out of her throat as she could feel the tiny teeth-like barbs that surrounded his feeding-organ twitch against her skin.

“Now, little one, it would be so much easier, if you just obeyed,” he purred into her ear.

Then he suddenly snarled and pushed her away. Iris went under for a moment and came back up sputtering and wiping the water away from her eyes.

An odd sight greeted her eyes when she could finally see again. The Wraith had gotten out of the pool and stood snarling in a fighting stance in spite of being naked. Facing him was Kenny, snarling too, his hands twitching at his sides. He was dressed in his usual clothes, so Iris concluded that he wasn't here by accident.

A silent conversation passed between the two Wraith until the naked one relaxed, shot her a disgusted look and left without a word. The Second in Command turned towards her, his voice unsympathetic and cold, “It would be better if you returned to your quarters for the time being.”

Then he turned on his heel and strode out.

Iris tried in vain to get her trembling hands under control and it took her quite a while to get out of the pool and wrap her towel around her body.

Her mind was curiously blank as she went to the dressing room, dried herself off and put on her clothes. Everything seemed so unreal, and somehow stretched, as if she was walking underwater. Or sleepwalking.

Once she was back in her quarters, Iris took care of her hair. If it dried out uncombed it would be a bushy, uncontrollable mess later. Once her hair was in a braid she sat at her table and booted up her laptop.

She stared at its screen blankly until the tremors started. And with the tremors came the tears.


	5. In Ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: Iris is a nice girl, but she just wasn't herself when she wrote that entry. Situations like the one she went through screw with your brain a lot – you find yourself doing things, thinking thoughts that you usually wouldn't.  
> Oh, and, infodump! ^^  
> My thanks to Rhion for being my writing Obi-Wan, and to Fran for Britpicking.

**Chapter 5 – In Ruins**

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---  
 _Not dead yet. But it was a close call. I haven't written an entry in days because I was attacked by a Wraith. I suppose I shouldn't be as disconcerted as I am, since nothing happened to me but a bruised upper arm, but I find that I am. I'm perturbed by the implications, by what could have happened, if Lirca hadn't run straight to Tisa who in turn alerted her Wraith, Kenny, the Second in Command._

_I could have been raped, brainwashed, or killed – or any combination thereof._

_It's difficult for me to write about this, but I fear it's the only way I have to deal with it. I can't talk to anyone (Lirca is afraid of her own shadow already, and Tisa is unsurprisingly unsympathetic because that kind of stuff is normal for her – in her mind that's just how the world works), and even if I'll return to Atlantis soon, I just have to get this off my chest somehow._

_Yes, I've decided to go back to Atlantis and write this whole thing off as another in a long list of failures in my life. They can sue me for contract violation to hell and back, I don't care. I've had enough of this. They can find someone else to do this job._

_Todd wasn't happy when I informed him of my intentions – but in the end he nodded and promised that he would return me to Atlantis as soon as possible._

_I'm just glad that I'll be making it out of here alive._

_Raped. Brainwashed. Killed._

_How many have they done this to? Without remorse, without mercy? I get having to kill to live. I get needing humans as workforce because the resources are too tight to feed lots of worker drones._

_But this? This is monstrous._

_Maybe it would be better to wipe them all out._  
\---end excerpt---

Iris was surprised that Todd had decided to drop her off personally. Maybe he just liked to fly small ships, or maybe he had business in Atlantis. Whatever it was, Iris couldn't find it in her to care.

But whatever the situation, Iris couldn't resist almost pressing her nose to the porthole as Todd steered the shuttle out of the hangar. Monsters the Wraith may be, but their ships were beautiful, all elegant lines and gentle slopes. Harmony and balance – it just didn't make sense to her.

“It is quite a sight, is it not?” Todd remarked, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Yes, it is,” Iris grudgingly replied.

Todd steered the ship around the Hive and a planet came into view.

Just a few more minutes, Iris thought as the little ship sped towards it, just a few more minutes and this whole nightmare will be over.

The planet was lush and green, and Iris enjoyed the view until Todd landed the ship on a grassy knoll.

“I do hope you will not mind a little detour on the way to Atlantis,” he said lightly, turning to face her.

“A detour?” Iris asked, trying to suppress her rising panic. What did he have planned? Did he even intend to return her to Atlantis at all? Or did he perhaps plan to do away with her quietly...

“There is something I wish to show you. Should you still wish to return to Atlantis afterwards, I will take you there,” he said, his manner carefully non-threatening. Well, as non-threatening as a Wraith got.

Smarmy git.

“All right, I'll tag along,” Iris grumbled and got up from her chair.

“Good,” he said in that irritatingly upbeat voice and passed Iris to grab two backpacks. “Everything we will need on our trip should be in these.”

Iris blinked, “Trip? What trip? How long is this going to take?”

“A few days,” Todd said with a smile, “A week at most. Pack a change of clothes, if you like.”

Iris opened her suitcase and did just that, as well as taking some deodorant and some soap. Just as she debated with herself if she'd need to wash her hair on this trip, she felt a hand wrap around her throat, and a sting at the side of her neck that was accompanied by a hiss.

“What the hell?” Iris shrieked, flailing, her shampoo bottle skittering across the floor.  
Todd let go of her immediately and withdrew a few steps.

“Just a precaution. The Iratus bug is abundant on this planet, and you will be attacked and fed upon, if you don't have some Wraith DNA,” he explained, his hands, one of them still holding the injector, spread in a placatory gesture.

“You... you just injected me with Wraith DNA?” Iris squeaked, beyond horrified.  
“Yes, but there is no need for you to be concerned. The DNA is attached to an inactive virus; think of it as a simple inoculation,” he replied, still smiling.

“Well, you could have given me a warning, hell, you could have bloody asked!” Iris shouted, grabbing her shampoo bottle and shoving it into the backpack forcefully.

“But the end result would have been the same, only it would have taken quite some time to convince you; and we have quite a walk ahead of us today. Wraith can see in the dark, while humans cannot.”

Iris just growled something uncomplimentary at the back of her throat and shouldered her backpack. It was of Wraith design, obviously, being roughly triangular in shape and consisting of some weird material that was sturdy and stretchy at the same time. It behaved a bit like rubber, but felt more like leather and was quite a bit lighter too. She had to admit that it was pretty nifty. It was comfortable to carry as well, after she had figured out how to adjust the straps.

After about half an hour Iris discovered that going on a hike with a Wraith was an exhausting venture. Todd just moved through the lush vegetation like mist – she on the other hand had to stop every few meters to untangle herself from something that had somehow snagged her, and then she had to run to keep up with him. Iris had no idea how he did that – by all rights the undergrowth should be bothering him more than her, since he was a lot taller.

“Ouch!”

Great. Now something sinuous and thorny had tangled in her hair above the braid, and she couldn't get it out.

“Wait,” she shouted at Todd's quickly disappearing back. “I'm stuck.”

The Wraith retraced his steps until he was standing in front of her with a bemused expression on his face.

“There's something in my hair, and I can't get it loose,” Iris explained unnecessarily, as he stepped behind her and with a few flicks of his long fingers set her free.

“You have no forests like this on your planet?” he asked as they continued on.  
“Oh, we do. But when we go in, we bring a machete,” Iris grumbled.

So they continued on, until the sun started to set. They had reached a clearing, and Todd informed her that they would camp there tonight.

Iris was very glad to hear that, barely resisting the urge to simply keel over. She was sweaty and itchy, and her legs and back hurt like nothing good. At the thought of a repeat tomorrow, she almost started to cry.

They didn't light a fire, just sat in the grass eating some of the rations they brought before crawling into a pair of sleeping bags. Iris pointedly didn't look at Todd as he removed his heavy leather coat to do so.

Usually Iris had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings (not to mention with a Wraith just a few feet away) but after the draining day she found that she had no trouble at all.

...

Being shaken awake by a Wraith in the twilight of a new day was a rather unnerving experience too, as Iris discovered in the next morning.

“Come, we must set out early, if we wish to reach our destination today,” he said quietly and moved away.

“Right,” Iris replied and started to move. And stopped. And groaned. Her overstrained muscles had locked up over night, and everything _hurt_ like the blazes.

Biting her lip, she managed to crawl from the sleeping bag and rolled it up. She'd had aching muscles before, but nothing quite like that. Wanting nothing more than to curl up and not move for an entire day, she nonetheless ate her breakfast and repacked her stuff without complaint, feeling very proud of herself for managing that. And intellectually she knew that walking off the ache was the best way to deal with it, even if her body told her otherwise.

Todd didn't say anything, but his pace wasn't quite as brisk as the day before, for which Iris was very grateful. But she didn't say anything either.

They paused around noon for lunch, and Iris resisted the urge to ask her companion how far they'd have to walk yet. She really didn't want to seem like a whiny little earthling who couldn't even take two days of walking through the woods.

But eventually the trees cleared up, and they stood at the entrance to a valley. Nestled against a cliff on the other side were the ruins of a city. It must have been grand once, Iris thought, because it was awe-inspiring even in its present state.

Todd turned to glance at her her, a melancholic expression on his face, “We used to live there. This planet is where Wraith came from.” with a wave of his hand he bade her follow. “Come,” he said, and they made their way down.

“Most of the records have been destroyed, so we have no certain knowledge how we came to be. Perhaps a human colony was started here, maybe a ship landed here with humans on board. We only know that human and Iratus combined and formed our kind. We lived, we thrived, and formed a civilisation,” he explained as they went.

Iris listened to him, wide eyed, her feet stumbling over the uneven ground because her gaze was riveted to Todd’s face as he spoke.

“And then there was a plague. Millions died, and we were desperate. Though we already had quite advanced technology, we couldn't find a cure. And then the Ancients came. They promised us a cure, if we, in turn, would serve them.”

Iris ran a few steps to catch up to him. “And you accepted?”

“We did. And we were _cured_ ,” he replied, spitting out the last word as if it was something distasteful.

“And we served them. They had many worlds where humans lived and worked for them, and most humans regarded them as gods. But some worlds rebelled. Why would they have to work for the Ancients? What did the Ancients give back in return that they couldn't give themselves or go without?”

Iris stopped short.“They used you to keep the human populations in line,” she said.

“Yes,” Todd said, turning towards her, “They did. Come, some parts of the city are still more or less intact. We will set up camp and I will tell you more.”

As they entered the city, Iris looked around her, marvelling at the beauty she saw. The Ancients had a very distinctive style, all clear angles and smooth planes. This city was as different as it could be. Instead of proudly jutting out of the surrounding scenery, it was designed and built to harmonise. It was a bit reminiscent of the Hives in its fluid elegance. But where the Hives were more or less artless, the buildings featured intricate decorations.

“It's so beautiful,” Iris breathed, stopping to admire a broken fountain. She could just imagine the water cascading over the abstract stonework, pooling in the smooth basin.

“Yes, it is,” Todd said quietly, and Iris followed him deeper into the dead city.  
A dead city, and, she soon realized with horror, a city of the dead.

“You never buried them,” she said, as she realized what the pale fragments littering the ground were. Bones.

“No we did not. There were too many to bury. When the Ancients came, we left this planet. And we never returned. But we watch over it, and we have never forgotten the place of our ancestors, even though we have forgotten almost everything else. Were made to forget,” Todd replied, his multi-toned voice sad and grim.

Iris didn't know what to say, so she was silent until they reached a lovely building that seemed in better shape than most of the others.

“This is where I usually stay when I come here. There is a wellspring in the back that has drinkable water. You can bathe in it, if you wish.”

Iris gave a sad little smile. “Yes, that sounds heavenly.”

“Go, then,” he said, “I will clear away the debris. It has been centuries since I was here the last time.”

That remark drove home how very old he was. It said in the mission reports she'd been given that he was well over ten thousand years old, but she had never actually realised what that really meant. Was a life as long as that a blessing or a curse, she asked herself, as she slowly made her way to the little pond that was in what had once been a beautiful garden. The pond was fed by a clear spring, and emptied itself into a little stream that merrily ran along until it disappeared between the buildings.

Iris undressed and got out her soap and shampoo. She wasn't concerned that Todd would peek at her while she bathed – the novelty of seeing a naked woman had probably worn of a couple of millenia ago, and she was confident that he had other things on his mind anyway.

The water was cold, but Iris gritted her teeth and slowly got in anyway. The pond was very shallow, so she had to bend and twist a little to wash her hair, but she managed. Finally clean, she got out quickly and dried off shivering; the sun and her clean set of clothes felt wonderful on her body after the cold water. But she felt refreshed and rejuvenated in a way that went beyond just getting clean, and she felt oddly peaceful as she combed out her hair in the afternoon sun.

When Todd came to join her, she looked up from where she was sitting in the grass.  
“You know, something occurred to me. With so much of the city still intact, don't you think that at least some records might have survived?” she said, grimacing as her brush hit a snarl.

“Perhaps. We never bothered to look, since we thought it best to leave the past behind us. But I am beginning to see that this might have been a mistake,” he replied, sitting down next to her.

“Do you remember how it was before the Ancients came?” Iris asked.

Todd threw his head back and laughed.

“No, I'm not quite that old. I don't think that there is anyone who is.” he said, and suddenly sobered. “I was born into servitude. Our masters were kind enough, as long as we did as they told us. I was young and rather bright, and an Ancient called Janus took a liking to me and had me help with his work.”

Iris thought for a moment. “The Ancient who built the Attero Device?”

“The very same. As it happened I was a curious young Wraith with too much time at his hands, so I hacked into Janus' databases. And what I discovered...” Todd let the sentence trail off, and his gaze turned inward.

“What did you discover?” Iris asked quietly, putting her brush down.

Todd's head snapped around to face her, and the look in his eyes frightened her into scooting away from him.

“I discovered the reason why the Ancients were able to find a cure so quickly. They already had it. They already had it, because _they created the plague_!” he growled menacingly, his voice rising with every word. “They killed most of our people and enslaved the rest! They took everything from us, our freedom, our culture, even our language!”  
Iris stared at him wide-eyed.

“So I sent a message to my people, and we convened. We are telepaths, and the Ancients were not, so it was quite easy to secretly form a rebellion. And then we struck. And was it not our right?” he challenged her, “What would your people have done in our place?”

And Iris remembered what she knew of Earth's history. Remembered Boudicca, and Crazy Horse, and Michael Collins. “The same,” she whispered and was unable to hold back her tears. “We would have done the same.”

Todd slowly reached out a hand and wiped a tear from her face.

“I never would have thought I'd one day see a human cry for Wraith,” he said, his voice gentle again.

“It doesn't really matter, doesn't it? In the end we're all people,” Iris replied, her voice hurting inside her throat.

“Yes, Yes we are. And both our people need to realise that,” Todd said and rose, holding out his right hand to help her up.

She took it.


	6. Coming to Terms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The photo thing in the diary entry is Iris' view, not mine ^^  
> And as always many thanks to Rhion, my writing Obi-Wan.  
> Now without Brit-Picker. Need one, badly! Volunteers?

**Chapter 6 - Coming to Terms**

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---  
 _Not dead yet, no matter what my body says._

_Yesterday Todd dropped quite the bombshell on me with his story about the origins of his people._

_What am I supposed to do now? It never occurred to me that the stuff I was doing was actually important. Because it is. So why the hell didn't the IOA send someone better equipped for handling this task?_

_Anyway, I can't help but feel for them now. Them being the Wraith. What the Ancients did to them is... beyond words._

_The city is beautiful. Beautiful and sad. I'll ask Todd if we can stay for a day, so I can walk around and explore a little. Maybe I'll draw a few pictures to remember it by. I've never liked photos – they are quickly taken and quickly forgotten. When you draw something, you really take it inside yourself._  
\---end excerpt---

 

As it turned out Todd was quite content to stay for a day. When Iris mentioned exploring, he insisted on coming along, since the city, as wonderful as it was, was also quite dangerous due to its state of dereliction.

They left most of the contents of their packs inside the house and went off, with Iris stopping along the way to sketch out details that caught her eye.

In the early afternoon Todd led her to a tall building, one of those that was still in good shape, and they climbed to the roof. The view was spectacular. The cliffs were quite close, and the city was nestled against them, as if seeking shelter in the beautiful nature surrounding it. The layout wasn’t rigid, yet it looked harmonious and organised, not randomly cobbled together like most human cities. Every building was a work of art in its own right, yet their fluid grace made them blend together into a lovely whole. Only a few stood out impressively, and Iris could only guess as to what their function had been once. Maybe the palace of the Queen? Libraries, theatres, places of learning?

The Wraith settled on a toppled pillar, and Iris did the same, liking the image of him sitting serenely in the ruins of the past. A last drawing of the city with an actual Wraith in it? Why not?

So she started to draw. Todd was a very good model, as he sat almost motionless. She had noticed that Wraith tended to do that – maybe a conscious (or unconscious) method of energy conservation?

“So, do you still plan on going back to Atlantis?” he asked, startling Iris out of her contemplation.

“How can I? This must be done. What I don't understand is why the IOA sent me. I'm not exactly the best. Far from it, in fact,” she admitted.

“You have read mission reports from Atlantis, yes?”

“I have,” Iris replied.

“Did you get the impression that they were trying to understand us?” Todd asked lightly, his gaze still fixed on the view.

Did they?

“No, not really. There's lots of information about your biology and lots of military stuff, but not much I've found useful for my studies. All the information they gathered was about how to fight you. Wait, you think that they set me up to fail?” Iris asked, shocked.

Todd's voice rumbled with amusement, “Would that surprise you?”

Iris thought about that for a moment, then sadly shook her head.

“No, not really. I suppose by running away scared I'd have played right into their hands,” she concluded bitterly.

“The Atlantis expedition and I have worked on a peaceful solution because they know that fighting us would result in heavy losses to them; and I know that at the rate your people are going, there will be no Wraith left in about a century at most.”

Iris studied his face for a moment. The thought of his people possibly disappearing within a century must be absolutely horrifying to an individual who had lived for millennia. For him a century must be a blink of an eye, Iris thought.

Derisively, “And the higher ups don't care about the losses.” The whole operation would be so much more efficient without a potential foe – or competitor. Utterly disgusted with the thought, “And they'll probably keep the humans in this galaxy more or less dependent on them.”

“Correct. And in that they are more like Wraith than they wish to admit,” Todd said with a cunning little smile.

“Well they're in for a surprise. I'll continue my work aboard your Hive – if you can guarantee for my safety.” Iris said, pausing her drawing to look at him.

“You will be safe,” Todd replied, his smile becoming grim and just a little scary. “The Wraith who attacked you did not think that his actions would have consequences, since you are just a human. He was mistaken.”

Iris was quite sure that she didn't want any details. But she couldn't really find it in herself to feel sorry for her attacker.

“Good,” she said, with a grim smile of her own.

“What I don't get is why he attacked me in the first place. I'm not exactly a beauty as humans go – there were many women about who were much more attractive than I.”

Todd turned his head to face her and laughed, “Who says that humans and Wraith have the same standards when it comes to beauty? A face with prominent, strong bones is very attractive to us.”

“Oh,” Iris said, feeling stupid. Of course it made perfect sense in hindsight. A pretty, evenly human face must seem rather bland to Wraith eyes. So she was attractive. The thought was entirely new to her; Iris had made her peace with being homely long ago.

Finishing the detailing on one of the buildings on her drawing, a thought occurred to her, “Why didn't you find a possibility to avoid feeding on humans yourselves?” she asked.

Todd sighed heavily, “Because it never occurred to us. Most of our history from before the Ancients came was lost millennia before I was born; all we had left were a few myths that became corrupted by time. For millennia we thought that we had always been the way we were. It was Doctor Keller who deduced that we were not, she said that from an evolutionary viewpoint it would not make sense that a species with such a limited food range as the Wraith could have thrived as we had. Then she dug a little deeper and solved the problem by returning us to our state of being before the plague.”

Iris nodded slowly, “That does make sense, I suppose. You can't look for something, if you don't know it exists.”

“Yes. Are you done? It will get dark soon.”

“Hmh... just this one cloud... there. Done,” Iris declared, closing her sketchbook and getting up. She was rather glad that Todd didn't ask to see her drawings – she'd rather keep them to herself, for now. At least until she knew something about contemporary Wraith art – she really didn't want to embarrass herself.

They didn't talk as they made their way back to their shelter through the rubble of the city; Iris was lost in thought, and Todd seemed content to leave her be. Daylight was fading fast, and she started to stumble over bits of debris littering her path. Her companion drew nearer, in case he had to catch her, she assumed, and she really didn't know how she felt about him walking so close to her, with the occasional guiding hand on her shoulder. He still made her very uncomfortable, but she guessed it was better than falling on her ass in the dark.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally arrived at the house they stayed in and Todd turned on the lights.

The meal they shared was quiet too; but it was comfortable, companionable. Iris had never been one to feel the need to fill any silence with empty words, and it seemed like Todd, or maybe the Wraith in general, weren't either. Todd withdrew eventually to the garden while Iris shook out her sleeping-bag, and she fell into a deep sleep rather quickly.

...

Iris found herself waking from a nightmare with a strangled scream and her heart racing within her chest. It was about the Wraith who attacked her, of course, but the dream had twisted the whole situation into something even more sinister.

Her sick mind had taken what had been merely implied and hinted at, and turned it into reality. In her dream she'd been lying on her back at the edge of the pool with her legs dangling in the water and the Wraith between them; she could not only feel his hands on her, but also his slick, smooth skin against the insides of her thighs. There was nothing she could do as he reached down to put his hand against her chest and lowered his head to whisper into her ear.

To whisper into her ear that she was beautiful.

Hand covering her mouth in horror and disgust, Iris shuddered. Figured that they’d start now, when she had finally started to come to terms with what happened to her. She forced her breath to slow and searched for Todd in the dim light. Had he noticed? She hoped not. The Wraith treated weakness with derision, and she didn’t want to lose what little respect she had gained in the last two days.

Luckily Todd simply lay on his back nearby, eyes closed and hands folded over his chest, oblivious to her terror. But was he really? There was no way he could have slept through that. Even if she hadn’t made a sound, even she could smell the fear on herself - she was covered in cold sweat. The Wraith were predators in part, and something that bloody obvious would be impossible to ignore. The pits on the side of their faces enabled the Wraith to smell just about anything - not to mention that they could pick up on surface emotions, even though they couldn’t actually read human minds.

Swallowing to moisten her dry throat, she smiled wryly, “I guess I should have brought my stuffy.”

As she had expected his rumbling voice came from the other side of the room, “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s a human thing. When we get scared, we like to have something around that is familiar, that we associate with being safe. For some this can be a cuddly toy that they've had since childhood,” Iris answered, gaining back some of her spirit by slipping into explain-things-mode. “Stuffed toys are for when children get lonely. Don’t Wraith-children ever get lonely?”

“No.” Todds voice sounded slightly amused and affectionate, warming substantially, “Wraith-children are never alone. We are telepaths, so they can always feel their parents, even if they do not see them. Whenever my daughter was afraid of something either her mother or I would instantly know.”

Iris sighed wistfully, “That must be a wonderful way of growing up. Always knowing that you are safe and loved. Never once doubting your parents’ devotion to you.” She stopped then, afraid to give away too much about herself. “Well, your daughter was very lucky to have that security I think.”

“My daughter and her son will return to the Hive soon, so you will be able to observe how Wraith interact with their children. She will not mind, she is very fond of humans.” Todd said, “Now you should try to get back to sleep. We will have to start early tomorrow to make it back to the ship.”

Iris stifled a groan at the thought of walking back. That would not be fun. But Todd was right, she’d need all the rest she could get. And meeting a real Wraith-Queen... that was a prospect Iris found a little disturbing. She had read the mission reports, and they all said that the Queens were about twice as scary as male Wraith. This was going to give her nightmares for sure. Ah well, at least now there would be some variety.


	7. Some Do Not Like It Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: The way Iris addresses the queen is actually the correct way to address the Queen of England after the initial “Your Majesty”. But I figured that Iris wouldn’t use “Your Majesty” at all, since Alabaster is a different kind of queen.   
> Still without Brit-picker.

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---

_Not dead yet. But we’ll see how long that will last, Alabaster the Wraith queen will arrive soon. I’m back in the Hive after my little field-trip with Todd, which was an eye-opener in more than one way. Lirca is hiding out in my quarters as I’m typing this, her not so secret admirer seems to be running out of patience. I really need to talk to Todd about this. If Wraith and humans want to get along, the Wraith really have to stop sexually abusing their worshippers._

  _Shawn has been a bit of an ass, ribbing me about trying to run away._

  _Tosser._

  _I really should do something about him. But nothing too obvious. Maybe something with food... let him think that I’m trying to get on his good side, and then... bam! Chili, or something._

  _Maybe Lirca knows someone working in the kitchens. Maybe they might let me play in it for a bit, give that git something to sneeze about._

\---end excerpt---

 At first she thought a curry would be really good, a nice madras with chicken and potatoes. But she failed at making naan, so that wouldn’t work. Also, it smelled spicy. Very spicy - at least the good stuff. It had to be something that seemed utterly harmless but wasn’t, which left her with getting creative.

 And sadly dipping into her own stash. The IOA better send her supplies before she ran out though. Her monthlies without a good supply was a terrible sight to behold.

 The kitchen staff turned out to be very competent and extremely helpful as soon as they caught on to what she was planning; they weren’t very fond of the Wraith in charge of them either.

 So Iris made a pot of her favourite hot beverage for cold days. She had developed a taste for spicy food during her time at university, the hotter the better, so she was quite used to most of the things that set fire to tongue, throat, and sinuses. To her eternal embarrassment she originated from rural Dorset (it had taken quite a while for her to get rid of most of the accent, and people to stop mentioning sheep in her presence), so she hadn’t been able to satisfy her culinary curiosity until she came to live in a city.

 Iris settled at a small table in the mess-hall and offered a cup of her Mexican chocolate to a curious Lirca, who teared up after the first sip and coughed appreciatively, “Oh yes, that’s definitely too hot for Wraith. But it’s delicious. Oh, there he is. I’d better go.”

 Shawn didn’t spare the leaving girl even a single glance and turned to Iris, “So, where is this Earth delicacy you promised?”

 Iris smiled guilelessly at him and indicated the pot, “It’s right here. You see, we’ve got this plant that wasn’t discovered until thousands of years after the Ancients left the Pegasus galaxy, so they couldn’t bring it with them when they came here.”

 Shawn sat down across the table and leaned forward, his brow ridges raised in interest, “So this plant only exists on Earth?”

 Iris shrugged, “As far as I know, yes. Maybe some other Milky Way planets have it, but this galaxy definitely doesn’t. The beans can be made into either food or beverages...so here, try some.”

 Shawn accepted the mug Iris had filled and carefully sniffed the contents, “The aroma is quite unique; nothing like anything I have ever encountered before. And I have sampled the delicacies of many worlds.”

 Iris took a sip from her own mug to hide the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth when he took a not too cautious sip.

 The reaction was everything she had imagined.

 Shawn’s cup clattered on the table as he reared out of his seat, spilling hot chocolate everywhere, while the Wraith was hunched over, grabbing his throat, and making noises somewhere between gasping and retching.

 “Shawn? Are you all right?” Iris asked, keeping her voice and expression puzzled and vaguely concerned.

 Shawn’s antics, meanwhile, had drawn quite a crowd - Wraith and worshipper alike.

 “You...” came a wheeze from him, followed by a coughing fit, “You could have warned me!”

 Iris looked at him innocently, “Warned you about what? It’s just a little spicy.”

 “Wraith are very sensitive when it comes to hot spices,” Shawn growled at her, flexing his feeding hand.

 Iris tried to remain calm. He wouldn’t do anything with so many witnesses about, so she let her tone get reproachful as she replied, “Oh? How was I supposed to know? You never volunteer any information. That kind of situation can be easily avoided if you tell me what I need to know instead of waiting for me to stumble on the right questions by accident.”

 Shawn glowered at her, the effect somewhat ruined by his runny sensory pits. Taking a few deep breaths, he grabbed a napkin and wiped his cheeks and rasped, “Of course.”

Then he gave her a grin that was somehow even more all teeth than usual, “I will see to it that you are...thoroughly educated about all aspects of our physiology.”

 Iris took another sip of her cocoa and smiled at him blandly, “All information will be appreciated. Perhaps you could compile the relevant information in a file for me to read?”

 Straightening, his grin widened and he purred, “Of course, I will bring it to you soon.”

 Iris left the mess-hall after Shawn had excused himself with an odd, courtly little bow, and returned to her quarters.

 As soon as the doors had slid closed behind her with the typical wet sound, Iris started to giggle like mad. The memory of Shawn coughing and sputtering, with his sensory pits leaking unmentionable fluids would keep her happy for a long time to come, whenever he was being obnoxious again. He had seen her naked, and she had seen him losing his dignity in front of a crowd. So Iris figured that they were even now.

 The happy smile was still on her face when she opened the door after the chime went off.

 Todd entered at his usual brisk pace and returned that smile with a cheerful one of his own, “Well, you seem to be in a good mood. That is perfect.”

 “Oh? And why would that be?” Iris found herself bantering back playfully. She felt as if there was nothing that could put a dampener on her happiness right now.

 “My daughter is arriving slightly ahead of schedule, so I came to get you. She is most curious about you.”

 Except that. Iris felt her face freeze over and plopped down into one of the chairs at the table, “Oh.”

 So the axe would be dropping now rather than later. She was about to meet a real Wraith queen, the stuff of legends and nightmares. Wonderful.

 Todd looked at her with a quizzical expression, and raised a hand, indicating the door, “Shall we?”

 Well, nothing to be done about that, Iris thought, and got back up to accompany him. Her mood got increasingly morose as they walked along the winding corridors of the ship.

 “So you are fond of spicy food,” Todd interrupted her black thoughts. “I developed a liking for it as well.”

 Iris raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, “Oh?”

 He returned her glance with a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, “I find it a challenge.”

 Iris couldn’t hold back a giggle and shook her head. It figured that he heard about the incident in the mess hall already. So their telepathy didn’t only make the Wraith powerful and scary, it also made them _terrible_  gossips. The telepathic network of the Wraith - _worse_  than Twitter, Iris thought with a snort.

 They arrived in a hangar bay where many of the Wraith living on the ship had already assembled in a respectful distance to where the ship would dock, but Todd led her quite a bit closer and bent down to murmur quietly, “She will have her son with her. You will like Darling, I think.”

 Iris smiled, “His name is ‘Darling’?”

 Todd nodded once, his voice deep and affectionate, “Yes. Wraith children are named by their mothers until they earn their First Name, which reflects their personality. I am looking forward to Darling getting his.”

 Iris realised that he was trying to distract her, but she didn’t mind. “You really love him, don’t you?”

 A flicker of annoyance crossed Todd’s face, “Both Darling and his mother are precious to me. Does that surprise you? Do you think us heartless monsters who do not even love their own young?”

 Iris sighed and shook her head, feeling sheepish, “No, of course not. I just find it a little hard to think of someone as fearsome as you as a...granddad.”

 The ship appeared while Todd was still chuckling, and gracefully glided into the hangar. It was just a small one, similar to the one Todd had flown, and like all Wraith ships it looked like some sort of sea-creature. Or the sex organs of an orchid, but those were nearly the same thing.

 A hatch opened, and out stepped what was obviously Wraith queen Alabaster and her son, followed by two Blades. She was beautiful, Iris thought, beautiful and regal. Her scarlet hair was a striking contrast to the muted colours of the Hive and her white dress, and it shimmered like silk as she walked up to her father with her hands reaching for his.

 Todd bowed to her still holding her hands, and they remained like that for a moment in silence. Then he straightened and took a step back, gesturing towards Iris, “My Queen, this is Miss Iris Popplewell, the scientist sent to our Hive.”

 Iris swallowed thickly, meeting the gaze of the queen. Was she supposed to bow? Curtsy? _Kneel_? What the hell was the protocol for meeting a Wraith queen without being food? She really wished she had thought to ask Todd.

 In the end she decided on a stiff little neck bow (curtsying seemed so silly to her) and a murmured, “I’m honoured to make your acquaintance, Ma’am.”

 The queen seemed delighted, rather than offended, so Iris took a breath of relief.

 Alabaster’s voice was very deep but melodious, “It is a pleasure to meet you. This is my son, Darling.”

 Obligingly Iris dropped to one knee in front of the small boy, “Hello, Darling.”

 Big, yellow eyes blinked back at her a little owlishly, “Hello. Why are you named for the part of an eye?”

 “Actually an ‘iris’ is an Earth flower. Very pretty and sweet smelling; and it can also be used to make sick people better,” she smiled with more than a little amusement.

 The child nodded earnestly, “Yes, you do smell sweet. So your name is Sweetflower?”

 Iris could hear Todd quietly chuckling beside her and blushed, “I suppose...”

 That concluded the introductions, and they left the hangar, Todd and Iris trailing behind Alabaster and Darling.

 After debating a little with herself, Iris finally turned to Todd, “What did Darling mean when he said that I smell sweet?”

 “The scent of the chocolate still surrounds you. It is very pleasant,” he answered with the hint of a puckish grin.

 Iris just blinked; she really couldn’t think of anything to say to that.


	8. Building Blocks

**Chapter 8 - Building Blocks**

 

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---

_Not dead yet. Managed to survive my first encounter with an honest to God Wraith queen. Alabaster isn’t that bad, I suppose, very curious about many things - I guess she’s trying to learn about me as much as I want to learn about her. That I certainly didn’t expect. She is very much her father’s daughter, I think._

_Darling is just adorable, he makes me want to go all ‘Auntie’ on him. I really wouldn’t be surprised if he had the whole Atlantis Expedition firmly wrapped around his chubby little fingers. He will also stay that adorable for quite some time to come; Alabaster informed me that he’s nineteen years old - he looks about five._

_Thanks to Shawn I now know more about Wraith physiology than I ever wanted to - he sent me the information he promised, and a lot of it was... well, let’s just say, if I ever found myself in bed with a Wraith, I’d have a reasonably good idea what to do with him. I hope I can manage not to blush like a ninny the next time I see him._

_Git._

\---end excerpt---

 

Lirca was hiding out in Iris’ quarters again. The young woman was getting increasingly frazzled and desperate. Iris simply offered her a cup of tea and patiently waited for her friend to calm down.

The worshipper took a sip from her cup, “He just won’t leave me alone. The others keep telling me to just do as he wants, but...”

Iris nodded understandingly. The thought of having sex with a Wraith made her skin crawl too. Sure, most of them were sort of handsome, but they were also very alien with their shiny, greenish skin, and, _Good God_ , those teeth. No way she’d let those anywhere near her.

Making her decision, Iris stood, “I’ll see what I can do. Wait here for me.”

Approaching Todd and Alabaster about this issue was something Iris would have preferred not to do, but it seemed like it was necessary.

Two Blades were guarding the door to the throne room, and they looked anything but friendly. Iris squared her shoulders and approached them, “I need to speak with the queen, if she can spare a moment. It is a matter of some importance.”

One of them bared his teeth at her, and Iris took a step back. Then his gaze turned inward, and a moment later he stepped aside, “You may enter, human.”

Now didn’t that sound welcoming? Iris thought, took a deep breath and went in.

It seemed like she was interrupting some family-time. Amber sat on her throne with Darling in her lap, while Todd stood nearby.

The queen turned her gaze on Iris, “Miss Popplewell, you asked to see me?”

“Ma’am,” Iris greeted her and cautiously stepped closer, “Yes, there seems to be a...situation. But as I see it, it’s only a symptom of a larger problem.”

“So tell me about the issue.”

Iris glanced at Darling, who was listening carefully, “I’m not sure it’s something a child should hear.”

Something passed between mother and son, and Darling slid from her knees to run to a chamber beyond; the queen’s private quarters, Iris guessed.

Both the queen and Todd looked at her expectantly and without blinking, which made Iris very nervous. Swallowing hard she cautiously started to relay her problem, “Well, a few days after I arrived on the Hive I made the acquaintance of a young woman named Lirca. She is being pursued by one of your Blades, but she is...reluctant to give in to what he wants. I offered her the use of my quarters as a hideout until he lost interest, but there seems to be no change in his, er, attentions. My point is, if you are serious about wanting humans and Wraith to get along, there needs to be a stop put to the sexual abuse. If a worshipper wants to share her affections, that’s fine. But if she doesn’t, her wishes should be respected.”

The queen tilted her head to one side, an inscrutable look on her face, “She is free to leave, if she cannot bear the thought of ‘sharing her affections’, as you put it.”

Iris tried hard not to fidget, “True, but she doesn’t have anywhere to go. Her home was destroyed when she was taken, and I’m sure you are aware how worshippers are viewed by society outside the Hives. And think about this; the current worshippers will one day grow old and die. Who will replace them? Who would come to serve you of their own free will, if all that awaits them is derision and abuse?”

Alabaster leaned back and thoughtfully steepled her fingers, “There is some truth in what you say. It is my experience also that servants who are glad to serve are preferable, but my Blades have needs that must be met.”

Iris nodded, “Yes, but aren’t there enough worshippers who are willing? Why not simply leave those that aren’t alone? The worshippers serve you faithfully; aren’t they deserving of your protection in return?”

Not to mention that them being stuck on the Hive was the Wraith’s fault in the first place, which made them responsible for the worshippers’ well-being in Iris’ opinion. But she didn’t quite dare to say that out loud.

The Wraith queen thought about that for a moment before nodding slowly, “Very well, I will give the matter some thought. In the meantime I will instruct my Blades that they are only to approach women who are willing.”

Iris breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, Ma’am.”

Alabaster leaned forward again and suddenly smiled, “My son would like to know if you know how to play Lego.”

Iris was a little taken aback at the sudden change of topic and blinked, “Yes, I do. I played with them myself when I was little.”

That was when little Darling raced back in, carrying a big box. From the sound it made as it was bounced with every step, it was filled to the brim with the aforementioned plastic toys. Someone had ensured he had quite a prize.

Iris smiled, amused at the boy’s enthusiasm, and settled down on the floor with him. Darling took a half-finished project out of the box and unceremoniously dumped the rest of the parts on the floor, “I’m building a Wraith ship. But the ships are round and curvy, and the blocks are...”

“...angular. I see,” Iris said, carefully picking up the bit Darling had made. “But it’s possible to make those angular bits come together in a way that seems round. Would you like me to show you how?”

Darling grinned at her enthusiastically, ”Yes!”

Iris handed the “Wraith ship” over to the boy and took some parts to put them together. She had always hated it when her teachers had drawn corrections right on her pictures, so she tried not to do things like that herself. Snapping the blocks together she explained as she went, “If you leave tiny bits sticking out like that, you can make a curve, see?”

Darling nodded and mimicked what she had done.

While the boy was busy, Iris looked up at his mother and grandfather, who were watching them in fascination.

“An interesting toy,” Todd remarked with a great deal of interest.

Iris smiled at him, lost in memories of her own childhood, “It’s designed to promote creativity. You can do whatever you want with it those blocks, no rules, no limits.”

She almost laughed when Todd sat down and began inspecting the blocks even more closely than he no doubt had before. A quickly cobbled together set of pieces gained Darling’s attention, and the boy went about ‘fixing’ it for his grandfather, some silent discussion spanning between them about colours if the fact that Todd discarded all the yellow ones to replace them with green was any indication as Darling handed them over proudly. Wistfully she wished she had a similar way of communicating, by comparison words seemed so limited, at least since she was the one left out.

She turned to the queen, the wistful smile still on her face, “Well, it seems like my job here is done.”

Alabaster nodded, grinning, and Iris slipped from the room with a quick wave of good-bye in Darling’s direction.

When she returned to her quarters, Iris found Lirca still agitated and nervous, so she decided to just tell her the good news, “The queen has decided that it would be beneficial to restrain her Blades when it comes to the worshippers. You don’t want to have sex with them? Well, you don’t need to. Tell them to go away, and they will.”

Lirca stared at her wide-eyed, “She...she did? Really?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly Iris had her arms full of sobbing girl.

The relief poured off of her, as though a massive weight had suddenly been lifted as she bawled her thanks, “Oh, thank you! I never would’ve believed it possible...you just went to the queen...”

Iris decided then and there that this needed to be nipped in the bud, “The queen is very intelligent and reasonable. She would have done this anyway; I simply brought the matter to her attention a little sooner.”

Lirca nodded, struggling to bring herself back under control, another, last impulsive hug, and she scampered off as fast as a squirrel up a tree.

Feeling a great sense of accomplishment, Iris sat down with another cup of tea, only to get up again when the door chime went off. Figuring it was Lirca who had forgotten something, she opened the door with a smile. It was Shawn, so the smile dropped right off her face again. Ah well, there was no such thing as a perfect day. But that was no reason to lose one’s manners, so she asked him in and offered him a seat and a cup of tea, which both of which he declined, so Iris remained standing as well.

Iris did colour a little when he grinned at her, “I only wanted to inquire if you found the files I sent sufficient.”

Hiding behind her cup a little she replied, “Yes. I think they are. Thank you.”

Shawn slowly came closer, “And do you have any questions?”

“No, I think I’ve got it,” Iris said, feeling like prey stalked by a predator - which he essentially was - and she shuffled back until her back collided with the wall.

Shawn made a purring noise deep in his throat and reached out to finger a strand of her hair, “Are you certain? I could give you a...demonstration.”

Battling against her rising panic, Iris took a deep breath, “No, thank you.”

His long fingers still threaded in her hair, Shawn leaned down, his face entirely too close to hers, and smiled in what she was sure he thought of as a seductive manner, “But I am sure you would find it enlightening.”

He was close enough for her to smell his scent, warm leather and something faint and a little musty, like a forest after the rain. He took a deep breath, with his eyes closing for the duration of it, and purred again. Was he smelling her? Well of course he was smelling her! It wasn’t like he was thinking about Christmas pudding! Iris considered pushing him away, but he might take that as an invitation to actually touch her, so she simply made herself meet his intense gaze when his eyes opened again, “I said, ‘no’.”

With an exaggerated forlorn sigh Shawn took a step back and let her hair slide over his hand as he withdrew it, “Pity. But if you should change your mind...”

“You’ll be the first to know,” she said dryly.

The smile was back on his face then, as he gave her that odd little half-bow again, “That is all I can ask.”

As soon as the door had slurped shut behind him, Iris slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, her gaze unfocused, still clutching her teacup.

Bloody _hell_.


	9. A Practical Exercise In Xenobiology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: All is not as it seems. Dub-con in this chapter.

**Chapter 9 - A Practical Exercise In Xenobiology**

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---

_Not dead yet. But if things keep going the way they are, I might just have a heart attack one of these days. Seriously._

_Shawn made a pass at me.  I mean, Todd explained to me that I was sort of attractive by Wraith standards, but this is ridiculous. Including the one who attacked me that makes_ **_two_ ** _Wraith who showed interest in me within a couple of weeks - that is two more  Wraith than human men in the last three years. Figures that the only beings who find me attractive would be creepy green space-vampires._

_Darling came to visit me, and we played Lego again. It made quite a mess, and he left a few pieces behind when he went back to his mum, but I think I caught them all now. Stepping into those things is very, very painful - thumbtacks have nothing on those evil little buggers. It’s a bit like taking a stroll through a  lovely green meadow barefoot and suddenly step into a burr - bloody unpleasant._

_Darling is such a lovely child and quite used to human playmates, it’s such a refreshing change to be treated like a normal person._

_The issue with the worshippers has been solved to everyone’s satisfaction, I hope. I think the women here really needed some breathing space, and the Wraith can only benefit from having to be charming to get laid; and not in a “give me an inch and I’ll gobble you up” kind of way either. It would definitely help them when having to deal with free humans, because they are much less likely to be forgiving._

\---end excerpt---

Iris decided that an irate Tisa yelling at her wasn’t an ideal way to start the day.

“What were you thinking? Who asked you to meddle in things that do not concern you?”

Iris winced and rubbed her eyes, ”Well, I offered to intervene, and my offer was accepted. Besides, I really don’t see a problem with Wraith not raping women.”

Tisa rounded in on her, and Iris took a step back. For such a tiny woman she could be quite intimidating, “It was Lirca, was it not? You really should not have intervened. The situation was under control, and in time she would have gotten used to her duties. Now you have made things very difficult for all of us just to spare the sensibilities of one!”

Iris frowned, trying to rein in her temper, “So you think it’s acceptable for a woman to suffer through rape? To be hurt, abused, and humiliated in the worst way possible? How is that ever going to lead to a better future?”

“It is obvious that you have no idea what you are talking about,” the worshipper sneered, “Otherwise you would not jump to such ridiculous conclusions. The Wraith do not rape. Being with them is quite enjoyable; I recommend giving it a try before you pass judgement on them - or us.”

Iris shuddered, remembering a horrible smile and a feeding organ pressed against her chest, “Thank you, I think I’ll pass. But Lirca didn’t want to. Shouldn’t she have the right to decide for herself if she wants to have sex and with whom?”

Tisa’s face hardened, “No. If she does not wish to be a worshipper in all it encompasses, she is free to leave. There is always a price to be paid for a comfortable life, and keeping the Wraith satisfied is the one we pay. It is also the only way we have to protect ourselves, to influence things. If the Wraith are happy, we are safe.”

Iris shook her head, ”I’m sorry, but I still don’t see the problem. You’re free to serve them in any way you choose. What difference does it make to you that others are free to say ‘no’?”

Tisa took a deep breath, seemingly trying to keep herself under control, “Because it will create division among us. We cannot afford to be divided; unity has always been our only way to survive.”

“Now what do you want me to do?” Iris replied testily, “Walk up to the queen and tell her that I’ve changed my mind, and that it would be better, if the worshippers didn’t have a choice?”

Tisa sighed and shook her head, “No, what is done is done. But do not meddle any further if it does not concern you, and if you do not know for certain what the outcome will be.”

With that she left, and Iris sank down on her bed, face in her hands, feeling horrible. What was wrong with these people? She had just tried to help them, make their situation better. Yes, change would be weird and somewhat frightening, but didn’t they see it was necessary? Did they want to be slaves forever? Perhaps one of the reasons was shame - if you were a victim, if you didn’t have a choice, there was no reason to feel ashamed about the things you did. You weren’t responsible. But if you did have the power to say no, saying yes would feel a lot more like prostitution.

The worshippers were a very important part of the process, Iris realised, they were the humans who could teach the Wraith about their people. They were the only ones who didn’t hate their hopefully former oppressors’ guts. The Wraith needed them, and the worshippers needed to step up and take their own share of responsibility for the fate of the galaxy. They needed to stop being worshippers; they needed to become companions.

They had to accept the Wraith and themselves for what they were; you couldn’t change where you were going when in denial about the direction you were currently taking. Iris sighed. It would be hypocritical of her to assume that it would be easy; and in some things Tisa had been right. But how was she supposed to idly sit by and watch things go wrong?

It was a vicious circle of thought - and Iris knew only one way to get out of it, at least for a while.

...Get drunk.

But where to get something to get drunk with? Shawn, perhaps? He enjoyed the finer things in life, so it was very likely that he had a few bottles of wine squirreled away somewhere. Maybe she could wheedle some out of him? Rummaging through her suitcase she found a Cadbury bar and sighed. The sacrifices she made...

So she contacted the Wraith assigned to her and was surprised by how swiftly he responded, standing in her quarters only a few minutes later with a friendly smile - well, at least as friendly as his smiles got, ”You asked for me; what can I do for you?”

Seeing him standing in front of her in all his Wraithy glory, Iris had second thoughts about the whole venture. But since she was sort of desperate right now, she decided to go with her plan anyway, “I find myself in need of some wine. Any idea where I might get some?”

Shawn reacted to her playful tone by stepping closer and reaching for a strand of her hair again, “I might. But what is in it for me? Why would I share my private possessions with you?”

Iris raised an eyebrow, holding up the Cadbury bar, “Maybe because I’d be willing to do the same? I know your first encounter with chocolate was a little unfortunate, but I’m sure you’ll like this one a lot better. It isn’t spicy at all. Just mild and sweet, and all kinds of lovely.”

Shawn tilted his head to one side and his eyes narrowed, “So it would be the wine in exchange for your sweet? I am inclined to agree to your terms, but I would like to add a condition of my own.”

“Oh, and what would that be?” Iris asked, fearing that he’d ask for something she was absolutely not inclined to give.

Shawn must have been reading her expression correctly, because his smile widened into a delighted grin, “My condition is that we will share both. Sharing these things is customary among your people, is it not?”

Drawing away from him, Iris frowned, “Sharing with friends, yes. That isn’t exactly what we are.”

Thankfully staying put Shawn replied, “But we could be. I am your ally; and I would never do you any harm.”

Iris eyed him skeptically for a moment, unwilling to believe one single word he said, but her inner fatigue won out in the end, so she just shrugged, “All right. I suppose I could sink a few with you.”

Soon after they were sitting at her table with an open bottle of lovely red wine, two glasses, and the Cadbury bar cut into bite-sized pieces on a plate between them. Shawn closed his eyes and hummed with pleasure after trying some, “This is truly delicious. Perhaps your people would be willing to share the plant and the ways of making this ‘chocolate’?”

Iris couldn’t help but smile at his honest enthusiasm, “Perhaps. I guess it would take some negotiating... but I don’t see why not. We aren’t equipped to handle supplying the whole Pegasus galaxy with chocolate, so you’d have to learn how to make your own anyway.”

The Cadbury bar was one of the bubbly kind - she’d thought that the interesting texture and the sweet taste of it would appeal to him. Better leave the tart, less sugary and creamy ones for later... Wait. Was she thinking about teaching him about chocolate? No way - that was her survival stash. And she really didn’t want to care about what appealed to him anyway; Iris was under no illusions Shawn was her friend, so she didn’t want to do ‘friend’ things with him.

At all.

To distract herself from her troubling thoughts, she asked, “Have you always been on this Hive?” Shawn took a sip of his wine and reached out to touch Iris’ hand with his fingertips. Iris flinched and snatched her hand back, “Would you please not do that?”

Shawn made a quizzical sound, then raised his brow-ridges, “I apologise. Wraith tend to touch each other when discussing personal matters, it is a way of creating a private link between two minds that cannot be listened in on.”

“Oh,” Iris said. That certainly explained why they could be so touchy-feely with no sense of personal space.

“To answer your question,” Shawn continued, “I originally came from another Hive. We existed without hibernating because we had an agreement with the humans on a planet that I had come up with. They were not culled, and in return they would supply us with their criminals.”

Iris nodded, several ways this could become quite ugly appearing in her thoughts.

Shawn leaned forward a little, “Then the human rulers broke the agreement by not supplying the numbers needed, so the queen lost her patience with them and the planet was culled. The queen deemed my plan a failure and exiled me from the Hive. The Commander was gracious enough to accept me on his, since I share his view that it is much more beneficial to have humans cooperate with us.”

And for him that meant divide and conquer, Iris realised, playing the humans against each other for his benefit. And he was one of the “nice” ones... Who knew how many atrocities Tisa had witnessed in her time as a worshipper?

The wine was sweet and heavy, and it did its job admirably, Iris thought, as she felt herself relax. If only those chair things had backrests...

So Shawn was a newbie on this Hive. Interesting, Iris thought, as she listened to him talk about the day to day business of the Hive, and how this one differed from his former home. Things were starting to get pleasantly fuzzy - Iris didn’t have any idea how much wine she’d had; whenever her glass was getting half-empty, Shawn topped it off. Sneaky.

“You know,” she impulsively said when he fell silent for a moment, “This, uh, companionship thing. I’ve gotten a few viewpoints from the worshippers’ side, but what do you Wraith think about those women? How do you see them?”

In their time together Iris had learned to recognise the expression that was on his face when he was choosing his words carefully; he was wearing it when he replied, “They are here to serve our needs, those who have taken a single worshipper to attend them protect them personally from other Wraith. But other than that... I suppose we do not think about them."

Iris felt her face freeze a little. Shawn seemed to pick up on that and added, “We ensure they have enough food from the...tithes we once gathered, or from worlds that have been culled. Now it is...traded goods. Things they like, the base materials that they find necessary for a...pleasurable existence. But conscious thought? Hmn...it depends upon how attached to the worshipper the Wraith is; what needs she meets and with what skills."

Iris held on to that thought, “So Wraith do occasionally get attached to a certain worshipper?”

Shawn smiled slightly, as if he had expected her to pounce on that, “Yes, some do. The second in command and his woman have been together for almost two centuries now.”

Iris felt her jaw drop. Tisa was that old? Of course, it explained quite a few things... but that a Wraith would keep a single woman around for that long... Curious, she asked before her fuzzy brain could censor her mouth, “And how many worshippers have you had?”

When she saw the delighted grin spread over his face, she suppressed the urge to bite her fist as his reply was that peculiar sort of preening he did, putting her in mind of a peacock, “There were many; I am not inexperienced.”

“I’m sure you aren’t,” Iris replied dryly. Of course he’d brag; but Iris was surprised that she found it endearing rather than irritating. The wine made her head swim a little, so she leaned sideways against the wall.

Shawn leaned over the table to playfully tug at her hair, “Perhaps you would like to lie down for a moment? I am sure you would find the bed more comfortable.”

Iris stretched and nodded, and wasn’t very surprised when he joined her on the spongy mattress. He was much too close again, but she didn’t mind. His pose was relaxed yet elegant, and idly she wondered if she should take him up on his offer, follow Tisa’s advice, and find out what the fuss was all about. First hand experience was always better than book research...

She was of two minds when it came to the Wraith in general, and Shawn in particular; part of her found them strange and frightening, but she couldn’t deny that she was also fascinated and curious.

On a whim she reached out to brush back a some of his hair that threatened to fall over his face, and was surprised when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. The white strands slid over her fingers like silk, very different from the frizzy mess on her own head. When she was about to withdraw her hand, he caught it and held it against his cheek, breathing in deeply, “Your name fits you, you do have a sweet fragrance.”

Iris giggled, feeling a little breathless, “What? Oh, right. The chocolate.”

Shawn chuckled, rubbing his cheek against her hand like a cat, “No, not the chocolate. Just you.”

Someone who used to eat humans had just told her that she smelled nice. Was that a good thing, or should she be worried? Winding up the meal du jour wasn’t her idea of a good thing.

Shawn sighed and rolled his eyes, “Come here, I will not bite you.”

Iris felt a little sheepish, but allowed him to pull her into an embrace. It was nice; she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be held like this. Only the leather made the whole thing a little uncomfortable and she told him so; causing him to chuckle and let go of her long enough to shrug out of his coat and shoes, “Better?”

“Uh, yes,” Iris said shyly, experimentally running her hand over his side, which was still covered by a soft, sleeveless shirt. He didn’t do anything, so she grew a little bolder and trailed her fingertips over the bare skin of his arm. It felt different from human skin, the lack of tiny hairs making it strangely smooth. It also seemed very thin and fragile. Well, why not, Iris thought, with their rapid regeneration being able to take care of anything from scratches to dismemberment, the Wraith didn’t need tough skin. He also was a little cool to the touch, which she had expected. The Wraith seemed very comfortable on the Hive, while she found the temperature a little too low and usually bundled up in several layers outside her warmer quarters.

Before she knew it, his hands were in her hair again, pulling her close for a kiss. Iris tensed, unable not to think about his teeth, but she only felt soft lips against hers. He tasted faintly of wine and chocolate, and Iris closed her eyes and tried not to think too much about the fact that she was kissing an alien. Did they kiss for the same reasons humans did? Had they always kissed, or had they learned from their human lovers? She vaguely remembered a theory that the origin of kissing was mothers chewing food for their toddlers before the invention of baby-food...

Shawn nipped at her lower lip, “Stop thinking so hard. Enjoy.”

Iris swallowed and looked at him with a sheepish grin, “Sorry. Switching off my brain has always been a problem for me.”

“Then I will have to do it for you,” Shawn purred, his hand slipping beneath her top to slowly inch its way up her front until he was cupping a breast over her bra.

She didn’t resist when he pulled her top over her head and kissed her again, with a little more aggression this time. The kiss had an immediate effect right between her thighs - she could feel herself clench and grow wet. That had never happened before - not from mere kissing.

Breaking from his lips for a moment, Iris divested him from his shirt, wanting to feel his skin on hers, her fingertips finding the raised ridge of his spine. Sensitive spot, her memory supplied, so she caressed him there and scratched him lightly with her short fingernails until he growled deep in his throat and wrestled her on her back, holding her arms over her head, “Careful, my sweet, do not bite off more than you can handle.”

His tone was playful, so she simply returned his grin, even though she couldn’t help but be a little scared, “How much do you think I can handle?”

Shawn cocked his head to one side, the movement making his hair slide around their faces like a curtain, “I do not know. But I do not want you to be afraid of me.”

Iris laughed a little breathlessly as he released her wrists and pulled him down for another kiss, “I’m not,” she whispered against his lips.

“Really,” he growled in reply and bared his teeth in a broad grin, mocking with a bit of disbelief in the tease.

Iris had never seen them that close before, and her breath caught as he pushed her bra out of the way to lower his mouth to her left nipple. Holding her wide-eyed gaze, he parted those fearsome fangs, but only to flick at the sensitive pink bud with his dark tongue. It was frightening and erotic at the same time. Part of her wanted to flail around and scream bloody murder, but another part of her was intrigued, curious, and very horny - and that part won out, so she simply closed her eyes and sighed as he started to ply her breasts with lips and tongue.

Trailing her fingers through his silky hair and over the skin of his shoulders, Iris moaned as he gave her pebbled nub a particularly hard suck. She was half out of her mind - and this was just foreplay. She had never experienced anything like this - never.

Then he was between her legs, pressing himself against her, and she could feel his hard erection through their clothing. Wraith and humans were sexually compatible - very much so... Shawn managed to get them both naked without even breaking their next kiss, which the part of Iris that could still think found quite remarkable. Said part was also a little worried about his claw-like fingernails anywhere near her most sensitive places.

Shawn nuzzled her jawline, humming soothingly, “Shhh... trust me; I will not hurt you.”

His fingers turned out to be quite magical, teasing all the right spots in the exactly right way. Iris found herself writhing beneath him, wordlessly asking for more; and Shawn delivered. She winced when he started to enter her, not sure if it was because of his size or her being out of practice.

He looked at her questioningly, so Iris shrugged, “It’s been a while.”

Shawn gently brushed her hair away from her face, “I will be careful.”

When he was fully inside her, she felt what she had read about, a little cartilaginous protrusion on his pubic bone that was perfectly aligned with her nub. He started to thrust gently, and Iris let her head sink into the pillows, “Oh God!”

“Like this?” Shawn teased her, picking up the pace a little.

Iris panted and clung to him, “Oh God, yes!”

It was perfect. Her fingers found his spine again, and Shawn growled, nailing her to the mattress in earnest now, his face buried against the side of her neck. Iris made very silly noises, but didn’t care, too lost in the moment.

The climax hit her like a tidal wave and she screamed. A sharp pain where her neck met her shoulder almost snapped her out of her wonderful feelings - and then, somehow, she came _again_ , almost passing out from the intensity.

Completely spent and boneless she was vaguely aware that Shawn withdrew, gathered her close, and drew the covers over them. She didn’t even open her eyes when he smoothed a hand over her hair and kissed her forehead, “Sleep well, my Sweetflower.”

“Night, Shawn,” was all Iris could manage in return.

His body shortly vibrated with a chuckle, “Dusklight. My name is Dusklight.”


	10. The Sound of the Other Shoe Dropping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babblerama: And here we go, the explanation. Discussion of rape in this chapter.

\---excerpt from the personal diary of Iris Popplewell---

_ Not dead yet - but I’ve got a hangover. Shawn - well, Dusklight, that’s his real name - offered to help me with it, but since that would have involved his feeding organ on my chest, I politely declined. _

_ He’s in the shower now, and I’m sitting at my table in my morning robe, typing and drinking some of my instant coffee. It really helps, I can already feel my head clearing up. Not sure if that’s a good thing; because I’m not sure how I’ll feel about having sex with a Wraith when I’m sober. The sex itself was quite something, though. No wonder the humans here are called worshippers - I couldn’t think or say much besides “Oh God!” _

_ The whole thing is a bit out of character for me. I’ve never been one to casually jump into bed with anyone (not even when drunk); and to do so with someone who isn’t human... I really don’t know. It’s a bit weird. _

_ I hope the aftereffects will be gone in time for my meeting with Alabaster, it simply won’t do walking through the ship all bow-legged and uncoordinated. I need to keep my professional facade at least somewhat intact. I hope Dusklight will be discreet about this - I’ll have to wear turtlenecks for a week now; he gave me the mother of all hickeys. _

\---end excerpt---

He looked like a statue in green marble, Iris thought when Dusklight stepped out of her bathroom. He was truly beautiful with long, even limbs and a lean, muscular physique. Dusklight, of course, caught her admiring gaze and preened, flicking a strand of his still dripping hair over one shoulder. Then he smiled his typical, predatory smile and took a graceful step forward...

… only to cringe and yell in pain, jumping back on one foot.

Iris almost jumped out of her skin as he did that, shrinking backwards against the wall as he turned to her, snarling, with a Lego block in his hand, “What is this infernal thing?”

“One of Darling’s Lego blocks,” she stammered; a furious, snarling Wraith was a frightening thing, even if he was naked and had spent the night before shagging your brains out. “They are his favourite toy...he visited me a couple of days ago and we played together, and a few of them got scattered and left behind. I’m so sorry, I honestly thought I’d gotten them all.”

His ugly mood instantly smoothed over at the mention of Alabaster’s son, as Iris saw with astonishment, and a wry grin appeared on his face. “Ah, I see. Devious little things, I definitely approve, even if I fell victim to them myself.”

Iris couldn’t hold back a giggle, “Oh you poor dear. How horrible that you had to suffer so; and that early in the morning too.”

“Especially after such a pleasant night,” Dusklight mock-pouted and stepped close to twine his fingers into her hair.

Her sitting position put Iris’ head near his stomach, so she wrapped an arm around him, trailing her fingertips up and down the back of his leg. “I’ll have to make it up to you, will I? Any ideas?”

Dusklight hummed thoughtfully as he brushed her hair aside to caress the spot he’d left a perfect circle of tiny puncture wounds the night before, “There is this delicious thing humans do to each other with lips and tongue...”

Oral sex? Why wouldn’t they...

Oh.

Picturing Alabaster’s impressive teeth, she could see where this would be a problem for Wraith.

Iris smiled up at him impishly, “Are you in a hurry this morning?”

Dusklight stepped away from her, drawing her up from her seat, ”There is nothing that requires my immediate attention.”

Grinning, she followed him back to the bed, where she let him peel the morning robe off of her. She watched him as he reclined into her pillows comfortably; she had seen him naked, but had never taken the time to really look, to take in the details. He was as close to perfection as a living being could be, and Iris tried very hard not to feel dowdy in comparison, holding on to the thought that he must like her well enough, or he wouldn’t be here.

She lay beside him and reached out to trace the tattoo that snaked up his left arm to his shoulder and chest. Most Wraith she’d seen so far had tattoos, and she was curious about them, so she asked, “Do they have a meaning? Or are they merely decorative?”

Dusklight smiled and caught her hand in his, “They tell the story of our lives. The first one we get when we earn our First Names, and more are added at certain points. We live for a very long time, and sometimes, over the centuries, you will forget things, people. These images symbolise things we want to remember, or feel we must.”

That made a great deal of sense, Iris thought, trying to imagine what it would be like to live that long. Wouldn’t it get boring after a while? Maybe that was why Todd liked raising a little hell now and again...

“How old are you?” she asked.

He laughed and drew her in for a kiss, ”More than five millennia, less than six. But you were about to use your tongue for something else than ask questions, were you not?”

Iris grinned and smoothed a hand down his hard stomach, “True. Shall I get started, then?”

Dusklight playfully growled at her in response to her teasing, so Iris laughed and turned her attention to her self-appointed task. She curled up close to him with her head on his thigh, close to another one of his tattoos. Iris contemplated shortly to ask him about it, but eventually decided that she had teased him enough.

Wraith plumbing worked pretty much like the human equivalent, with only some minor differences. Mostly it just looked a little weird. They didn’t have a set (their testicles were internal), and the shaft didn’t end in a head with foreskin, but something rather elegant that went halfway down on the underside and looked a little like some sort of mussel. When in a flaccid state, the flaring hood was barely noticeable, sealed away and the same green as the rest of Wraith skin, but when the penis became erect, the protective skin parted it unfurled, revealing that the skin turned dark purple.

At least that was the gist of what she had read, now she was quite eager to see it for herself. He was already half erect in anticipation, and hardened further when she wrapped a hand around the base and squeezed carefully. Since he had come straight from the shower his personal scent was very faint, but Iris could still detect it. He didn’t smell like a human man would, but Iris found that she didn’t mind at all.

Looking up at him she saw him watching her, lips slightly parted and pupils so dilated that they almost swallowed the gold-green around them. Still holding his gaze she licked along the darkening creases on the underside, smiling when he let his head fall back and groaned. Wraith penises were made for oral, Iris decided, so many sensitive nooks and crannies to explore...

Taking her time she explored them all, every fold, every vein, watching Dusklight tremble and pant. When she wrapped her lips around the tip and slowly slid down, he made a lovely strangled sound and clenched his hands in the sheets. His hips snapped upwards, and Iris was glad that she still had her hand firmly wrapped around the lower part of his cock - deep-throating was a skill she had never mastered.

Her lacking accomplishment none-withstanding, Dusklight seemed to enjoy himself immensely as she fell into a rhythm, licking and sucking. To make a creature like him tremble and moan helplessly was quite a rush, she found. Soon he started to growl deep in his chest. Deciding that she wasn’t quite ready for Wraith spunk in her mouth, she let him spill himself on his stomach. Amused she watched him catch his breath, feeling a little flushed herself; the experience had been quite arousing for her too.

Dusklight wrapped his arms around her and made that peculiar purring noise, “Who would have thought that a tongue as sharp as yours can be so sweet... Hmm... Would you like to know what I can do with mine?”

Iris had to admit that she was tempted to take him up on his offer, but the thought of those teeth that close to her bits... So she shook her head with a rueful smile, “No, thank you, maybe another time. You need a shower again anyway.”

“So do you,” he bantered back, unperturbed. “Perhaps it would be most efficient if we were to share it?”

Iris smiled and impulsively kissed him on the tip of his nose, which earned her a confused look, “Yes, good idea.” She was a little surprised herself - when had she gotten comfortable with joking around with him like that?

Languid shower-sex turned what was planned as a quick after-nookie wash-up into a rather lengthy affair which made Dusklight run a bit late for his duties. He had excused himself a bit hastily (but not without a long, surprisingly sweet kiss and a promise to meet her later), so Iris was left alone in her bathroom, staring in the mirror at a second set of bite-marks on her shoulder. Was biting like this a Wraith-thing or just a Dusklight-thing, she wondered, absentmindedly rubbing the irritated skin. Maybe she could ask Tisa about it? Or not - she wanted to keep this whole thing under wraps for now, at least until she had figured out how she felt about it.

When Iris made her way to the Queen’s chambers later she did have the feeling that some of the Wraith she encountered looked at her a little askance, but that probably were just her nerves, she thought. There was no way they would know about her thing with Dusklight, right? Not that she knew what kind of thing it was. He’d said that he’d be back, so he probably didn’t want it to be a one-off. So, a fling? Something more serious like Kenny and Tisa? He had told her his name - and Iris had gotten the impression that this was something Wraith in general didn’t do. Todd hadn’t told her his, even after their rather intense heart-to-heart on the planet. So what did Dusklight expect, Iris wondered as she paced the floor of the throne room, waiting for Alabaster to enter. Human relationship concepts didn’t really apply here...

“You seem preoccupied.”

Iris turned around to face Alabaster, who had entered unnoticed by her. Wraith could be so bloody sneaky... She took a deep breath and did her usual awkward half bow, “My apologies, Ma’am.”

Alabaster smiled and gestured towards a bench, “Come. I know it is customary among your people to sit together when having a personal conversation.”

Only Wraith Queens sat. But Alabaster had spent many years among humans, so maybe she had softened a bit on that during that time? She did as Alabaster had asked and folded her hands in her lap to keep from fidgeting, “A personal conversation, Ma’am?”

“Yes. I will be blunt; this is about you being intimate with one of my Blades.”

Oh shit. Bloody sodding  _ hell _ .

Iris swallowed, averting her eyes. Don’t panic, she thought, she doesn’t seem angry.

“Was I not supposed to? I wasn’t, uh, trespassing, was I?” Iris stammered, wide-eyed.

Alabaster smiled at her, “No, you were not. Yet we must speak about this. I questioned Dusklight as soon as I became aware of what transpired, and you might find the things I discovered…worrying.”

Iris swallowed hard, “What do you mean?”

“Wraith cannot read human minds, only pick up on some things on the surface of your thoughts and emotions; this much you know. But the talented among us can also subtly influence you. Project certain things. Dusklight projected his desire for you, and you felt it as your own. He admitted to this.”

Now Iris understood why Alabaster had allowed her to sit. It took a few seconds for the realisation to get through her brain, but when it did she felt like she was about to vomit.

So Dusklight had essentially date-raped her. Her hands started to tremble, so she wrapped her arms around her midsection protectively. Had any of her reactions been her own? Why would he even do that? Iris flinched at how plaintive her voice sounded when she asked that question.

Alabaster reached out and put her hand on the bench near Iris, “He is fond of you; but that is not why he sought your company. He told you that he has not been with us long, did he not? His status on my Hive is still insecure and undecided. He knows that I will not choose him as my Consort; the most he could hope for would be a position as a concubine, which he does not want.”

Iris nodded to show that she was following the Queen’s explanation.

Alabaster continued, “So he chose to attach himself to another woman of potentially substantial rank, such as yourself.”

Iris blinked, “I’m sorry?” What could she mean by that? She was just a human social scientist.

Alabaster gave her an amused smile, “The only other women here are worshippers, and you rank above them. Your work will also influence the way humans see us. So you wield no small amount of power - and male Wraith are always attracted to power.”

Iris took a deep, shuddering breath, her thoughts racing inside her head. Most societies on Earth were more or less patriarchal - even though gender equality had come a long way in some areas and in some ways, some structures remained; such as some women seeking to get close to powerful, influential men. So Wraith society was a mirror image of that?

Iris realised that she had to change her way of thinking concerning her situation. She had assumed to be only an observer and had acted accordingly. She had never thought about the possibility of becoming part of the internal Hive politics.

Iris bent over, rubbing her face. “God, what a mess. What am I supposed to do?” The consequences seemed daunting; was her credibility shot to hell now?

“I will send Dusklight away, if you like. We have approached Atlantis about sending a permanent Ambassador, and I think Dusklight would be very suited for that position. Other than most Wraith he has a certain fascination with human culture. But if you would like him to remain as your liaison and lover, he of course may,” Alabaster suggested.

The mere thought caused Iris’ stomach to roil unpleasantly. “No, I want him gone. He deceived me and broke my trust. What kind of message would it send, if I kept him near me? That anyone can do that with impunity?” Shock was making way for anger, but she clamped down on the impulse to just rage. There was time for that later in the privacy of her quarters. “I doubt he even knows that he’s done something wrong, but if he’s supposed to become a good ambassador, he must realise it. Yes, please send him away, but I would like to talk to him before he leaves. If he tries to pull a stunt like that on Atlantis, this could severely damage the alliance.”

Alabaster nodded and smiled. “You are thinking like a queen,” she approved.

Was she? Iris still felt sick. “I...I would like to return to my quarters to...think about what I’m going to say to him. May I?”

The Wraith-Queen merely nodded encouragingly and Iris left with another bow.


End file.
